


Blood Daffodils.

by MinervaHope



Series: Blood flowers [2]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Draco Malfoy & Ron Weasley Friendship, F/M, Good Draco Malfoy, Good Theodore Nott, Hanahaki Disease, Harry Potter is Bad at Feelings, Horcrux Hunting, James Potter Lives, Jealous Harry Potter, M/M, Mutual Pining, Past Harry Potter/Ginny Weasley, Past James Potter/Lily Evans Potter, Past Relationship(s), Past Theodore Nott/ Draco Malfoy, Pining, Pining Draco Malfoy, Redeemed Draco Malfoy, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-17
Updated: 2020-11-29
Packaged: 2021-03-06 02:41:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 27
Words: 93,183
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25956163
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MinervaHope/pseuds/MinervaHope
Summary: Continuation to “Blood Petals”! (Link to first part: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25370152/chapters/61516618)Draco found himself involved in the horcrux hunt, trying to keep Potter alive. Now, without Theodore to distract him from his useless pining, the Hanahaki is bound to get worst.NOW COMPLETED! (Part 3 is just a companion piece from Theo’s pov!)
Relationships: Draco Malfoy/Harry Potter, Hermione Granger/Ron Weasley, Remus Lupin/Nymphadora Tonks, Sirius Black/James Potter
Series: Blood flowers [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1883086
Comments: 549
Kudos: 1035





	1. The Potter’s mansion.

Draco cried when Sirius apparated them. You see, Grimmauld Place was the headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix... Severus was no longer a member but he still knew where the headquarters were. They couldn’t go back. Unfortunately, nobody told Draco beforehand.

They found themselves in front of extremely posh Gryffindor mansion. Draco knew, since the moment he saw it, that this was the Potter’s old house and they weren’t going back to Grimmauld ever again. So, yes, he cried like a little boy. 

As the four of them entered the house, Sirius had his arm around him and kept calming him down. ‘ I’m sorry, we just had to leave’. ‘We were lucky to have a place to move.’ ‘It’s very nice, I swear, and we don’t have my hag of a mother here.’ But Draco did not care in the least. This house smelled different, this house was not Grimmauld. 

“I thought that maybe we could put blood wards on Grimmauld. They are more secure.” The blond boy mumbled to his cousin. The man squeezed his shoulder and smiled kindly at him.

“We can’t risk it to go back... And the blood wards drain your own magic. We can’t be losing energy in keeping them up.” And he was absolutely right. Draco couldn’t even argue with him.

The mansion was decorated like the Gryffindor common room, everything red and cozy was put in this one place on earth... Draco thought it looked nice in comparison to the common room (more expensive furniture at least), but that it kind of hurt his eyes to stare at it for too long.

Mr. Potter gave them a tour. The kitchen was nice, they didn’t have a house elf here so they would have to take turns to cook. Downstairs, they also had the living room and the study (which James said that it was mostly created for his father, that he didn’t want to use it but they could if they wanted to). 

The stairs were made from this dark tone of wood, very pretty, they did not creak when they climb them, though. In Grimmauld Place, everything was so old that the house had it’s own melody. The stairs creaked, the floor did too if you stood near the fireplace, and the door made this horrible sound if you opened too fast... 

Upstairs, there was the main bedroom right down the hall, and four others that were smaller than that one. 

They showed them their rooms. Potter, of course, was going to sleep in what was once James’s room. It was decorated with quidditch posters and Gryffindor flags, the green eyed boy thought it was awesome. They offered to redecorate if he wanted but the boy refused, said that it was perfect just like that.

“And for you... We made some arrangements.” Said Mr. Potter as he opened the door that was right next to Potter. 

It was Sirius’s old room... the one he used when he moved with the Potters. It had a couple of Bowie posters right next to the bed and a record player in the corner. The walls were black, though. He couldn’t imagine Sirius choosing that for his own room so he figured that Mr. Potter had changed the color of the wall for him. To make them resemble a little bit more to Grimmauld Place.

“Look up, little cousin.” And Draco gasped. 

They had put his sky up in the ceiling. He felt like home again.

“Thank you so much.” He said as he pulled the both of them into a hug.

“It’s nothing, kid. We knew you love that room, we wanted for you to like this one as well.”

“I absolutely do, this is perfect.” 

Draco opened his eyes and saw Potter looking at him while he smiled. The boy diverted his look as fast as he could and blush started to appear in his cheeks and nose. How bloody weird.

They continued the tour and when Sirius showed them his room, Potter and him couldn’t help to pulled a face. Draco certainly wasn’t about to ask the question... The green-eyed boy, on the other hand, didn’t hold back.

“Why is this even necessary?” His cousin frowned.

“What do you mean?” 

Potter looked at Mr. Potter who had his eyes fixed on the floor. Then, he looked at Sirius again arching an eyebrow.

“Why can’t you just sleep at the main bedroom with dad?” 

The blush on his cousins face was epic. He looked like a scare little boy, who was just caught writing the name of the boy he liked on his notebook. It was a pretty funny sight in Sirius’s very adult face. The man tried to stutter a response.

“I- We are not-“ Draco didn’t think it was possible, but the man blushed even more than before. He turned to look at the man standing next to him. “Did you tell him something? Why does he think we are together, James?” Sirius demanded.

Poor Mr. Potter was just looking at his best friend with fearful eyes.

“I didn’t tell him anything. I don’t know why he thinks that.” You would think that Potter would had gotten the hint at that point, but no.

“I think you two are together because, contrary to popular belief,  I’m not blind.” He responded with that sassy tone that Draco loved so much. The father of the boy couldn’t help but to laugh at that. 

“That’s good, because apparently Padfoot is.” 

“James.”

“Sirius.”

—————————

They were having breakfast for the first time in that house when Draco decided to expose Potter.

“So... “ He started, waiting for the rest of them to look at him. “Should we start the horcrux hunt now or after summer?” 

Potter widened his eyes as he stare at him.

“What?” Mr. Potter asked.

“Did you just said horcrux hunt?” 

“Oh, yeah! Did Potter forget to mention it? We are going to destroy all the horcruxes from the same old Voldy.” The green-eyed boy glared at him.

“I don’t know how you found out, but we are not doing anything. I’m going with Ron and Hermione and you are staying right here with dad and Padfoot.” 

“Too late, Potty. I was already invited.” He responded smirking at the boy.

“I don’t fucking care. I want you safe.” Potter responded like a reflex and widened his eyes when he realized what he had said. 

The daffodils were moving inside of him, dancing... so fucking happy. ‘ HE CARES. HE CARES. HE CARES.’ Draco just blinked, trying to understand what just happened. Then, Mr. Potter interrupted.

“Neither of you are going anywhere.” Then he turned to look at his son. “You are still a minor, and I don’t care if you feel that this is your purpose in life: it’s not. The order will take care of it.”

“Like they took care of the attack the last time, you mean? Yeah, sorry for not trusting you much.”

Oh shit. Until that moment, Mr Potter never had a fight with Harry. He was too busy hugging him and being an angel with him... But Draco knew the face of the man right now: it was the same face that his mother wore when Draco had said an incredible fucked up thing. 

“Let me put it this way: you are not leaving this house. You are still sixteen.”

“Then I wait until my birthday and run away! I have to do this and you can’t stop me.” The boy yelled right back.

“WHO EVEN TOLD YOU TO DO THIS? ” 

“James... maybe we should-“. Sirius started to say but he was cut short by Potter yelling his response.

“DUMBLEDORE!” Something seemed to flash on Mr. Potter’s eyes.

“Oh! The same man that got Sirius in Azkaban for twelve years you mean?” 

“Prongs, that wasn’t his fault.”

“IT WAS EVERYONE’S FAULT! But specially his because he knew it was not you and still he did nothing!” 

Potter stood up and marched off to his room, without even looking back. Mr. Potter just put his head on his hands, his expression was of so much stress. Sirius started to rub his back gently.

After a while of eating in silence, Draco spoke.

“We are not going anywhere. I already told Granger that we were not disappearing on you two.” James looked at him with surprised eyes. “We should have a safe house, just in case, but I don’t think we will be needing it. If you don’t mind Ron and Hermione moving in, then we don’t have to leave anywhere.” He took a deep breath. “She was the one who invited me. Said that they needed me with them... She kind of also said that Potter would oppose to me joining them... Maybe you don’t care about my opinion but I had lived in the same castle as him since first year, if you tell him not to do something, he will definitely do it but in the most reckless way.” He said and left to find Harry. 

He didn’t even knock on the door, fearing that the boy wouldn’t let him come in if he gave him the chance.

Potter was sitting on the bed, holding some kind of necklace in his hand. His eyes were fixed on that, ignoring Draco as he walked towards the bed. The flowers in him were begging him to do something about the boy’s sad face, slamming themselves against the walls from his lungs. He resisted the urge to cough.

The blond boy sat in front of him, without saying a word. Now, seeing the necklace up close, he realized that it was a locket. It was rather pretty and a little bit creepy... The glittering green stones were forming an S that clashed with the golden color of the locket. It had to be something related with Slytherin given the fact that the S could easily look like a snake. Draco raised his eyes to meet Potter’s.

“It’s fake. He risked his life for this and it’s fake.” The boy said. The blond boy could sense how defeated he felt. He offered his hand, encouraging the boy to give him the locket. 

When Potter put it in his hand, he noticed that the locket was open and that it had a little note inside. He took it and unfolded it carefully, revealing what it said.

To the Dark Lord,  
I know I will be dead long before you read this but I want you to know that it was I who discovered your secret. I have stolen the real Horcrux and intend to destroy it as soon as I can. I face death in the hope that when you meet your match you will be mortal once more.  
R.A.B

Draco widened his eyes. 

R.A.B

Regulus Arcturus Black.

Draco had read enough times the name of Regulus to know his initials. He tried to articulate a word, he couldn’t.

“Draco...?” The boy asked with a soft voice. 

The blond boy was already running out of the room and towards the kitchen. He heard Potter calling for him, following right behind. Draco entered the room where both, Sirius and Mr. Potter were.

He put the locket and the note in front of his cousin without saying a word. 

Sirius took the note and traced every letter written in it with shocked eyes, a wave of grief washed over them. Draco saw how the realization in his face when he read the note.

“Reggie...” He whispered and Draco could not contain his joy.

“It’s his handwriting, isn’t it??” Sirius could only nod.

Mr. Potter took the note and read it too, a worried look appeared in his face as he turned to his best friend again.

“Padfoot...”

But Sirius was lost in his own thoughts, confused look in his eyes, trying to understand what he just read. Potter asked quietly who’s handwriting was it and his father answered in a very kind voice that it was Regulus’s. 

This meant that Sirius and Andromeda weren’t the only ones with morals on the Black family. This meant that his cousin wasn’t the only brave enough man to stand up for what he believed in. This meant that Regulus was good. Like, putting everyone before himself kind of good, being utterly brave and selfless kind of good.

A tear started to course down Sirius’s cheek. Mr. Potter gently cleaned it with his hand.

“It has to be at Grimmauld.” The man said with a low voice, his eyes seemed lost. “He wouldn’t have put it in the vault, he always said that he didn’t trust the goblins... Everything important to him was at Grimmauld.”

Draco found himself, once more, feeling like he knew Regulus. He felt the same way about that house. He loved everything in it. Except, maybe, for Aunt Walburga.

“We have to go back then.” Potter said with determination in his tone.  
And neither Sirius nor Mr. Potter could disagree with him. 

“If Regulus started this then I’m going to finish it.” The tone in Sirius’s voice was something that Draco had never heard before... Mr. Potter pulled the man into a hug and kissed his forehead.

“I’m promising you. We will.” Potter’s father whispered as they hugged.

Potter was looking at them with marvelled eyes.

’You know how my dad looks at Padfoot? I want that’

Draco would be the Padfoot to his Prongs any given day if he would ask him. He would hug him, and be there for him, and fight beside him until the day he dies. He would spend the rest of his life waiting for him; quite literally actually, after all, he didn’t have a lot of time left


	2. Spiral thoughts.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi! Sorry I took a few days to finish this chapter... I’ve been feeling kind of down and I just needed a time out.  
> I hope you like this one! Let me know what you thought in the comments!! ✨✨
> 
> Ps. I’ve checked but sorry if you find any errors in this one.

Getting the first horcrux was easy enough, Keacher had been keeping it safe this entire time. No wonder why he was so sad and angry all the time...He had the Dark Lord’s poisonous soul near him for seventeen years. 

When they entered Grimmauld, Draco felt like he was finally home again. Of course, that didn’t last long. The plan was to get the locket and get the hell out of there. 

Kreacher refused at first, said that he didn’t know what they were talking about. The blond boy thought that, maybe, the locket wasn’t at Grimmauld Place at all, and that Sirius had gotten everything wrong when he thought of that... But then, his cousin forced the elf to respond to his master and that was that.

The tiny creature went to the little cabinet where things that no one used were kept and took the locket from inside of a jar.

Regulus had left him the task before he died, Kreacher had to destroy the locket and not tell a soul. The poor elf explained that he could not destroy it, that it’s magic was too dark, too powerful.

“We will take care of it, I promise.” Sirius had said to the elf.

Draco kind of wanted to take Kreacher with them... But he knew they couldn’t. Kreacher had been the one who lied to Potter and set the trap for him at the ministry. The family already hated him, but they couldn’t free him either because the creature had already heard too much from the Order’s meetings. That information could easily be handed in to Aunt Bella again.

The blond boy just thought that the poor elf had already spent so many years of his life alone... Kreacher never said anything, but he was pretty used to have them around. Draco knew that because he saw the relief in his old face when he saw them entering the house. 

And then, they had to leave again... Draco could swear that Kreacher was looking at them with sad eyes when they left the house for good.

Now, he found himself going over the books that he took out of Grimmauld’s library, trying to find some kind of answer, a little more information about the damn horcrux... Because, yes, it was brilliant that they had it in their hands, but they needed to destroy it, that was the bloody point. Fiendfyre wasn’t an option, considering that they could burn the entire house to the ground in a matter of seconds. 

The other reason, why he was locked inside of his room since they got back, was because Draco could not deal with the fact that Theodore was probably in a living hell right now. Potter said that the boy failed to cast the killing curse against the headmaster, being that the moment where Severus took his place and finished the job. He could not wrap his head around that part either.

The scene kept replaying in his head. He could not stop it. Draco asking him to run away with him, the kiss, Theo saying goodbye...

His lips mouthing ‘I love you too.’

When Draco had said ‘I love you so much, please don’t do this’ he hadn’t meant it that way, not exactly. He meant it in the way that he said he loved Blaise or Pansy... Now looking back to it, there was more to it. 

The last month he lived with Theo seemed surreal, like an oasis of affection in the middle of his personal desert of pining. He had been what Draco needed in that moment.

When Theodore mouthed ‘I love you too’ he meant it like it sounded. He meant it like he kissed him every time... The blond boy could not feel any more guilty than he already did. Because, if Potter would suggest to him: ‘Hey, how about we fuck even though I’m in love with Ginny?’ Draco would do it in a heartbeat. Even if it meant that the green-eyed boy would be taking advantage of his feelings. Not that it would ever happen, Saint Potter was too pure to cheat on his girlfriend... But that’s exactly what he did to Theodore. 

Tears started to course down his cheeks. He closed the book lying in front of him, to avoid leaving tear-stains, and laid on the bed.

And Draco couldn’t stop thinking that he was an awful person for not loving Theodore enough, but he couldn’t help it. He was too in love with Potter to consider it even an option. It wouldn’t be fair to Theo... The boy deserved to be someone’s first choice.

He got inside of the bed and closed the curtains with the wave of his wand. ‘Time to pretend that you don’t exist, Draco. It doesn’t cure the depression but at least time passes faster.’  
—————————  
An afternoon of moping turned into a day and soon enough the day became a week of being locked up in his own bedroom.

Sirius was the only one who left him alone. He could hear him fighting with Potter or James, saying that Draco would come out when he pleased and that their only job was offering food for him. 

Mr. Potter was the first one to disagree, stating that it wasn’t healthy to be sleeping all day, or that Draco was not eating enough, given the considerable amount of food that he left in his plate after he was done eating. 

Potter was the one who tried to talk to him everyday. To be clear, Draco didn’t even open the door when they brought him food, he would just say thank you and waited until he heard the steps on the stairs to get the tray that was put carefully in front of his door. The green-eyed boy was the one who brought him his breakfast, lunch and dinner. 

‘Hey, good morning... I made you some eggs if you want. I just leave them here.’

‘Draco? It’s Wednesday already... In case you don’t know. You were sleep before, so I just brought you lunch.’

‘So... We are all worried. I know you don’t want to talk to us. Padfoot said that we should leave you alone but you are kind of scaring me.’

‘Draco. At least tell us how the Hanahaki is right now...’

Awful. That’s how the Hanahaki was. Just so bloody awful. Because every time he heard Potter’s voice the flowers seemed to tried to rip his lungs to pieces to get to the boy. 

And every single fucking time that he thought about how much he missed Theodore, the flowers would remind him that he was voluntarily choosing not to speak to Harry. Very much like the fight after Ron got poisoned. 

And thinking about that just made Draco think about his first time with Theo. And that made him think about their relationship. And then, he would think about how he couldn’t save him because he was so fucking useless. 

He felt like his thoughts spiraled around his brain. Not in a particular order... They just appeared. 

Maybe he would be reading a book, doing research, and then Potter laughter would appear in his head. And that made him see the green-eyed boy laughing with Ginevra on his lap. And that kind of made him see images in his head of the two of them sleeping together.

This was something that didn’t like about losing his virginity. There was little that Draco couldn’t picture now. And he didn’t want to picture Potter’s face in bed with Ginevra. He didn’t even want to imagine them in Potter’s Gryffindor bedroom with the curtains shut, the same way he would shut his curtains with Theo. He didn’t want to imagine what things the boy whispered in her ear or how he would smile at her after it was done.

Draco was with a pillow on his face, trying to avoid coughing for the millionth time, trying to keep those fucking images away from his head, when someone barged into the room.

No knocking, no Potter’s uncomfortable rants about them being worried, Draco just heard the door open abruptly and someone walking in.

“Get up, Ferret. You are going to kill Harry from the stress before he kills you-know-who.”

Draco opened his eyes, the pillow was still on his face so he took it off and sat on the bed.

“Weasley? What are you doing here.”

The redhead looked at him and pulled a face, showing something between worry and repulsion.

“You look bloody awful. What do you think I’m doing? Get up and take a shower, we are not playing chess like this: you smell.”

“ I don’t want to play chess. Leave me here to die” 

“Does it look like I’m asking? It’s Sunday and you can be sad while you live your life. Come on.”

Draco felt like a human being again after his shower. When he returned to his room, Weasley had opened the window and the summer breeze seemed to purify every corner of it. The blond boy basically still felt like shit but he had to admit that he was, at least, a little better than before.

When they finally got downstairs, Sirius and Mr. Potter were gaping at them. Potter just had a relief look on his face.

“Thank you.” The boy whispered to his best friend before turning his eyes to Draco. “How are you feeling? No, don’t answer that. Dumb question. Woul- would you like to eat something?”

The boy seemed so nervous around him lately. The blond boy was starting to think that since their fight back in March, that Potter had unlearned how he was suppose to talk to him. 

The flowers were, for the first time in a week, dancing inside of him. Being so fucking happy about seeing those green eyes again. Draco almost thought that he was going to cough right there but the daffodils seemed to just want to let him know that  this was good. They were blackmailing him at this point: ‘You are going to act civil with this beautiful boy or we will make you cough an entire garden out. Your choice.’

“That would be nice, Potter.”

And something glinted on the boy’s green eyes. He offered Draco a smile an started to cook something for him. 

“Oh look, Jamie. Prongslet still smiles!”

Mr. Potter tried to hide the smirk that started to appear on his face.

“Shut up, Sirius.” Potter hissed without even turning to look at him.

Draco seemed to register the conversation in a somewhat absent way. He could see what was happening, he could hear it, but he didn’t have the energy to try to understand why Sirius’s comment had been something bad. He didn’t care either.

After they had lunch, Weasley dragged him outside with the Chess set under his arm. The game passed without them talking much... Weasley was two moves away from winning when he spoke.

“I’m glad that you got outside. I know I practically had to force you but still.” Draco just nodded, then, the redhead added the last part with a casual tone in his voice. “Harry didn’t even want to come over to the burrow, in case you decided to get out of your cave.”

The flowers started to move really happy inside of him, but he wasn’t as deluded as they were.

“Can’t imagine Ginevra being please with that.” He responded as he moved his knight, even though he knew he was not going to win the game.

Ron stared at him with his blue eyes. Astounded expression on his face.

“He didn’t tell you?”

“What?”

“They broke up. Almost a month ago... Harry broke up with her. Ginny was bloody pissed about it.”

Draco blinked. His brain could not process the information. He asked the only question that came to his mind then.

“Why?” The redhead shrugged.

“I don’t know. He didn’t explain anything to us.” Us being him and Hermione of course. “Ginny just said that he would come around eventually... that maybe it was because of the war and shit. I’m not so sure, though. Why would he broke up with her so soon if it were because of that? Why wouldn’t he just explain?”

The coughs came all at once. Ron widened his eyes and ran to get help when he saw that Draco was having a coughing fit. 

His brain was so stuck on the idea of Potter breaking up with her to keep her safe... The she-Weasel was right of course. It sounded like something that the golden boy would do, because, well, hero complex. And he wouldn’t explain because that would give Ginevra hope and she would wait for him. A clean cut was safer. 

The petals didn’t stop coming out of his mouth. His eyes were filling with tears from the pain. The daffodils seemed to be screaming in his head ‘HE DOESN’T WANT US.’ Draco couldn’t agree more with them. 

“Draco? Draco, let’s get inside.” Potter’s voice seemed to be so far away, even if the boy was whispering to him, holding him and helping him stand up. “What the hell did you say to him?” He heard the boy hissed at his best friend. 

“Nothing! I didn’t even mention Nott.”

And every thought of Theodore manifested on his mind. Draco couldn’t help but to cry, this time not from the physical pain. He freed himself from Potter’s arms, and pushed himself through Mr. Potter and Sirius to get to the house. Once inside, he ran to his bedroom and closed the door again. 

He heard Potter’s voice not long after that.

“Open up, please.” His voice was so pleading... Maybe he cared a little, at least as his friend. 

Draco slowly opened the door as he cleaned his tears with the back of his hand.

“He sucks, alright?!” The boy blurted out. “He is the most stupid person I’ve met and that’s saying something considering that I grew up with the Dursleys.” Then, he looked at Draco with those beautiful green eyes. He felt like, if he wasn’t going to die from the tickles that the daffodils were giving to him, he would certainly die from loving him so much. “He doesn’t deserve you. Who in their right mind wouldn’t choose you? But it doesn’t matter, because you love him and I’m promising you: I’m going to end this before June next year. I will make sure you can be together, I’ll vouch for him, I don’t fucking care at this point. You are going to live through this, okay?”

For Salazar, this boy was an angel. He hated Theodore and he was promising Draco that he would vouch for him... He would stop the Wizengamot from sending the brunette to Azkaban. The daffodils were screaming at him ‘HE IS PERFECT. KISS HIM.’ It was unbelievable how fast they changed their minds, one minute they thought that Potter didn’t want him and the next they were asking him to kiss him in gratitud.

“You would do that?” Draco asked in an amazed voice.

Hurt seemed to flash in Potter’s eyes, just for a second, before he nodded; determined.

“Yes.”


	3. Trade.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! First of all, I wanted to thank you for the support in you comments yesterday. It really made me feel better 💕 also... College is starting again next week so probably I’ll take more time to update.  
> I hope you enjoy this chapter though! Tell me what you thought in the comments!

Harry had thought that the jealousy he used to feel whenever he saw Ginny with Dean was bad enough. He was wrong.

Looking back to it, his ‘chest monster’ felt like this little angry kitten in comparison to what he felt when he would see Malfoy crying for Nott.

The pull in his stomach from when he was in denial? Oh, that was just the beginning of it all. Harry could swear that every time he felt jealous over Nott, a hole got deeper and deeper on his stomach, making him feel nausea. And since he couldn’t scream at the boy that he shouldn’t be in love with such a fucking prick... well, Harry would just walk around the house with his moody face on. 

“You know we can all sense your magic being angry right now, right?” Sirius would say to him. It had become an habit at this point, a way to bring up the topic of conversation without specifically talking about it. Even though, the green eyed boy, knew that his Dad and Padfoot had the slightest idea about how he felt, the just didn’t talk about it.

Bill’s and Fleur’s wedding was approaching and Malfoy had been pretty much happily surprised when Ron told him that he was invited.

“I think I‘ve spoken ten sentences with your brother... I kinda talked to Fleur back in forth year... You shouldn’t force them to invite me Weasley.” Was the first thing that the boy had said.

“Ferret, I’m just giving you the invitation. Do what you want but know that I didn’t say a bloody thing to Bill.”

And it was kind of true..? Ron only mentioned to Molly that it would be really rude not to invite Malfoy if Dad, Padfoot and him were going... Not to mention that Draco was now one of his closest friends and he didn’t think that it was much to ask. Next thing he knew, his best friend had an invitation with the blond boy’s name on it.

One thing led to another and the three of them found themselves engaged in a conversation, with his father and Padfoot too, about if they planned to have a family when this was all over. And in case of the other two men, if they had wished to be parents back in the first war.

His dad answer that yes, he did want to have a kid back then... Maybe he would have like not to be running from Voldemort at the time, that Harry wasn’t  planned but he was pretty much loved since they knew he existed. 

Ron said that he would like a couple of kids running around his house one day. Not as much as them, since he suffered being outshined by having so many siblings, but maybe two or three would be nice. Harry just snorted as he responded.

“Are you kidding? Your family is awesome. I want to have like five, minimum.”

“I believe you should ask your future wife, Potter. Maybe she doesn’t want to be a brood mare.”

The comeback was burning his tongue: ‘Maybe I’ll marry a nice guy and adopt the kids, Malfoy’. He restricted himself from saying it in that moment... He still hadn’t talk to Padfoot and dad... He kind of wanted to come out to them first, since they were the first ones to comment on the possibility of Harry liking boys too. Well, about Harry liking Draco in particular.

Padfoot said that he always saw himself like the cool uncle, but that after Harry was born he kind of wished to have a kid of his own (before everything went to shit obviously). He didn’t like the sound of that... Now that Padfoot was free maybe he would get a family of his own, Harry was not alone anymore... He didn’t have an obligation to take care of him. And he was still young, thirty-eight years was a perfectly good age to meet someone and be a parent. It was kind of ridiculous to think that he wasn’t with his dad, though. He tried to change the subject.

“What about you, Draco?” The blond boy looked at him as if he were stupid. “Forget about you condition for a second! If everything were good and the sun would shine everyday: would you like to have kids?”

“No.”

Harry blinked. It sounded so final, like he had thought about it a lot and came to this major conclusion.

“Why not, kid?” His father asked in a kind voice, Harry could not articulate a single word. The blond boy rolled his eyes and began to explain, leaving everyone speechless too.

“Did you know that your son had to kill a teacher in his first year? Or that he voluntarily went inside of the Chamber of Secrets with the monster to save Ginevra when he was twelve? Not to mention that time when your lovely best friend went to see him to a quidditch match and the dementors started to suck his soul away and he fell off his broom.” Everyone was his staring at him, dumbfounded. “Oh! I forgot that these two fucker drove a flying car to Hogwarts instead of just waiting for the Weasleys to realize that they couldn’t go through the barrier by themselves (ALSO WITH TWELVE YEARS OLD). And that’s just the beginning of it; your son seems to attract danger and if his life is going too normal for his liking he just tries to kill himself. You know why?”

Harry was blushing so hard, he felt so embarrassed and stupid now that the blond boy was saying it like that. At least about the car... that was rather unnecessary.

“Because that’s how a gryffindor kid is. There is this tiny possibility that if I have a kid, he would be a bloody terror like the four of you. I can’t handle the stress. I can’t let my kid be in the hands of another person, of the professors, for an entire year, trusting that they are okay and then get a bloody letter asking for my presence at the school because my son or daughter has been petrified, like it happened to Granger’s parents. And that was worst because they are muggle and they had to be explained that there was a beast trying to kill students around the school. I didn’t even understand how they let her come back after that. I would bloody lock up that poor child and hugged them until they turn seventeen.”

Harry had thought that he was already as in love with the boy as he could be... All he could gather from what Malfoy said was that he would care so deeply about his kid that he could not bare to see them in any kind of danger. It just made him love him even more.

“Come on, Ferret! What if you have a little snake running around the castle? Wouldn’t you be proud?”

“I think that would actually be worst because maybe I wasn’t suicidal like your lot, but I managed to do my fair amount of dangerous things and my father doesn’t even have a clue. Hanahaki aside of course because, that night at the ministry, was pretty much the only suicidal thing I’ve ever did.”

Sirius and his father chuckled. The green-eyed boy was just listening, trying not to be so bloody obvious about how endearing he found Draco’s arguments. Ron couldn’t let it go, apparently.

“Oh, for Godric! Picture this: your one true love asks you to have children, because he thinks that is his purpose in life, to have a family. You would just say no?”

Draco seemed to be taken by surprise, like he didn’t expect the question. His grey’s eyes took a quick glance at Harry before stuttering an answer. Maybe he had been so obvious about his jealousy, that the blond boy was, now, doubting before talking about Nott.

“I- I think” He pushed his hair out of his face and blushed a little. “I don’t have it in me to say no to him. Not if it’s something that he wants so deeply. But they would definitely be terrors then, so I would probably die from a heart attack by the time they turn thirteen.”

Harry felt like he could cry right then and there. He tried to act aloof and to laugh when everyone did but soon enough he excused himself to go to his room, saying that he had a headache and that he needed to lay down for a bit.

He heard when Ron left, he heard someone starting to cook dinner... The dark-haired boy didn’t want to go downstairs and face him. He never had been good at lying and each time he talked to Malfoy he felt like he must just know.

Someone knocked softly on the door.

“Come in.” 

He heard the door open and close before someone walked towards his bed and sat at the end of it. The smell of nicotine invaded his nostrils. Padfoot.

“Are you going to tell us, at some point, how you feel or we should just keep on guessing?” The man asked with a soft and playful voice. Harry was already pissed off so he kind of blurted out a comeback.

“Are you going to explain to me why you and dad aren’t together or am I supposed to keep collecting information from the fights I hear every now and then?”

Sirius was silent for a moment, then he sighed and said:

“Fair enough. How about a trade?”

Harry blinked and sat on the bed. He wasn’t expecting that, Sirius had been evasive since last year and now he was just going to tell him? It sounded like a trap. He fixed his glasses and arched an eyebrow.

“Fine, but you go first.”

“I am hurt that you would think that I would not keep my word, Prongslet.” He said in a very dramatic manner. Harry just raised his eyebrows and waited ‘Do I look stupid to you?’

“I kind of think that James would tell the story a little different, so-“

“I’m asking you, Sirius.”

“Just... try not to freak out? James said that you wouldn’t be mad or react badly but he is your father and I’m not, so...”

Harry frowned.

“Is that what you think? That I love dad more than you or something?” He tried to sound as calm as possible, trying to be understanding about the whole thing, but it sounded so fucking ridiculous that he just couldn’t. Sirius looked away, so he grabbed his hand and tried to make him understand. “Padfoot, you are my family. I think you are the closest thing I had to a father before dad came back... That feeling didn’t go away. I love you, okay?” 

A tear escaped from his right eye and he quickly cleaned it away.

“I- I love you too. So so much. I know I don’t say it often, you can blame my awful family for how awkward I am at this things, but I do.” 

Harry pulled him into a hug, and closed his arms around him tightly. After a while, Sirius pulled away.

“So...” he started, nervous as he looked away. “You know that James and me have been friends since first year. I pretty much saw him and decided that he was my favorite person in the world.” A soft smiled appeared in his face but was promptly replaced by a sour expression. “I didn’t think much of it. We soon became very close in our group and I just thought that it was because we were best friends... Something happened to me every time he talked about Lily, though.” He got jealous, obviously. Harry didn’t say anything because he was afraid that if he interrupted Padfoot, then he would regret telling him at all. He just nodded. “Well, as the years went by, your mother didn’t even look twice his way and your dad used to tell me how pretty she was or that the boys she liked were stupid... By the time we were in forth year, I knew that what I felt for him wasn’t just friendship. Before that, maybe I used to look at him and thought that his smile was really pretty and my brain just went full on internalized homophobia mode and buried that thought really deep.”

Harry couldn’t help but to laugh at that, and when Sirius turned to look at him, he just shook his head.

“Sorry,” he said between laughs.“I just get it.” His godfather smiled softly at him and continued the story.

“Yeah, that year I started to ask, to see if he liked boys too but he got really defensive and told me that ’No, of course not’.”He sighed.” In our fifth year we were kind of drunk and James kissed me.” Of course his dad made the first move, he could barely avoid flirting with Padfoot even now. “And I thought that he finally had gotten over Lily, you know? I kissed him back and didn’t even ask a single thing... You can imagine my surprise when the next day he barely looked at me and the day after that, he asked you mum to Hogsmade again.”

Harry frowned then, utterly confused.

“What?” Sirius just nodded.

“It became this regular thing that we didn’t talk about. Whatever happened stayed between us, I suspect that Moony knew about it... The rat too, probably.” Sirius never spoke Pettigrew’s name. It was almost like Voldemort to him now, maybe even worst. “When I’ve moved here, it was different. Your grandparents never asked but James was hardly subtle.” ’Yeah, no shit’. “I just had to ask him, you know? What were we doing, if it meant something to him... And when he couldn’t give me a straight answer I just lost it and went to my room. Pretty much acted like nothing ever happened after that. Your dad stopped asking Lily out, though... which in the end was for the best, because she finally gave in to his charms and you know the rest of the story.”

Harry was just trying to process the information, it didn’t make any sense but most of all, a single question kept appearing in his head. He had to ask it.

“He made you his best man and my godfather even though you used to be together?” Harry pulled a face, Sirius looked at him with sad eyes.

“I knew you weren’t going to like this. I know it must be so weird for you, I’m sorr-“ 

“No! I don’t care about that! But weren’t you hurt, Padfoot? It seems awfully cruel.” Sirius just blinked.

“Oh. No... not at all. I was just surprised that it lasted for that long. And we were still best friends, I couldn’t just not be his best man and I loved you since I’ve first saw you... my mini prongs. I was honored to be your godfather.” He said as he pinched his cheek. “But that brings us to the actual question: Why are we not together? Well, beside the fact that he looks gorgeous right now and I’m just this old-post-Azkaban-being... I don’t think that he really feels what he says. It wouldn’t be the first time that we’ve been down this road, and I’m way more old now, not as naive, and not with the same strength in my heart, Harry.”

And he totally got it. He understood what the man was saying, but he could not help but to think that the way that his dad looked at Sirius was not just temporary. His dad told him that, even then, he thought that Padfoot was the most perfect person in the world... How could someone think that and claim to be in love with someone else? And if they were like this now... How did they managed to hide it from everyone back then when they really were together? No, if his mother was as half as brilliant as his father claimed she was, she most definitely knew about them... Maybe she just didn’t care... Or maybe she finally made a move on James when she saw that Padfoot and him had already broken up...? Could it be called a break up if they didn’t even pronounced the words? If they stayed silent like Sirius had said.

“Padfoot, you were just kids. I see how he looks at you, okay? Forget about whatever he did. If you feel the same just go for it.”

Sirius just chuckled and shook his head.

“You sound just like him sometimes.”

Harry just smiled and shrugged.

“Malfoy always says that you and I talk the same. Maybe I’m this mixture of the two of you.” He saw Padfoot’s eyes shine with expectation at the mention of Draco. “Call dad for this part, I wanted to tell you both at the same time.”

Sirius went to get James almost skipping towards his room. Malfoy must had been the one cooking the delicious meal that Harry could smell in the air.

Soon enough, the two men were in his room, sitting on the bed, waiting. Harry rolled his eyes.

“I think that this is unnecessary. Clearly, you both already know.” Sirius was about to say something but his dad nudge him with his elbow. “But fine. I like him, alright? I mean, no, I liked Ginny, I love him. Now, I know the difference. So that makes me, clearly, not straight. I suppose that I’m bi... But I only kissed Ginny, couldn’t go further than that. Didn’t feel right.”

His dad and Padfoot just looked at him with kind eyes.

“Thank you for telling us, Harry.” His father said with a smile.

“Yeah, Prongslet... And I’ve been thinking since the battle that maybe this thing, the whole being Theodore thing it just-“ But Harry interrupted him.

“You see him cry for him don’t you?”

“Yes, but I see how he looks at you too.” His godfather said, so much like Harry had just said to him. Harry looked away.

“Please, don’t say things that you are not sure of. I’ve never felt like this and everything already is complicated enough.”

His father pulled him into a hug, so warm and protective. Harry just hugged him back. After a while, the man whispered into his ear.

“I know you don’t want to hear it but I agree with Padfoot.” 

Harry started to get hope, something that he definitely did not need. He couldn’t be so stupid. He saw Malfoy with Nott. It just made sense.

But maybe, just maybe, there was this possibility of Draco, at least, liking him. Of him looking his way...

Fuck, now he had hope. This is why he hated to talk about his feelings. It always seemed to screw him over.


	4. Closeness.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi!!! Oh this was so much fun to write💕 I hope you like it!! Tell me about it in the comments, I love to read your opinions on the characters✨ It’s so much fun!
> 
> Ps. I’ve checked but sorry if you find any errors in this one!

Draco was kind of hating the way that Potter talked to him now. Even when he bursted into the room to call him out on his stupidity and the boy just blushed and agreed that it was his fault.

It happened because, finally Draco found something that could destroy horcruxes without burning the entire house: Basilisk venom. 

He entered Potter’s room and found him using the discman. When he saw him, the green-eyed boy took off the headphones and gave him a confused look.

“It’s basilisk venom! It’s so poisonous that it can destroy it! I’ve just read it.”

He, at least, expected surprise in Potter’s eyes.

“Oh, yeah, I know. I destroyed the diary with that in second year.”

’Show off’. Something clouded his thoughts just then.

“Potter.” He said with an unusual calm.

The boy seemed to notice that his tone was anything but peaceful. Draco saw him pulling his knees to his chest before asking ‘what’ in a really small voice.

“Were you aware of this when we were at Hogwarts?” The prat just nodded. “Didn’t you think that,  maybe, passing by the chamber and getting a few Basilisk’s fangs would might come in handy FOR AN HORCRUX HUNT?”

He yelled that last part, that much was obvious. He half expected for the golden boy to say that he had other things in mind at that moment... Like fantasies about the she-weasel and other non-essential things. You can imagine his astonishment when Potter just blushed like a tomato and stuttered an apology.

“I- You’re right. I-I mean-“ The boy cleared his throat. “I didn’t think about that. Sorry.”

Draco wanted to smack him. He had prepared for that since the moment Harry said that he already knew. But, now, looking at this boy with guilty green eyes he just couldn’t.

“I can’t believe Granger, Dumbledore, didn’t think of this. They also knew about the diary, right?” 

The dark-haired boy seemed to light up at the mention of the events not being, exclusively, his fault. 

“Yes, they knew.”

“I blame your house. You always choose to make everything more difficult. Now we have to infiltrate the school.” Draco said like it was the most obvious thing in the world, but Potter only frowned and looked at him with indignant eyes.

“Are you bloody insane? Dumbledore is dead, the minute we put a foot on the grounds they are going to catch us.”

“Do you have a better idea, Potty?” He asked with that bickering tone that he loved to use with him. He needed normal, he needed to hear the boy to get riled up as usual. At least, as they did, back then, before their bloody fight. Or fights in plural, he couldn’t quite decide if they had fought for something in particular or for everything during those awful months.

“ Any idea is better, Malfoy.” He replied with a groan. “If we need to do that, the bare minimum request, would be to have all the horcruxes. That way, we destroy everything before they catch us.”

“Or they catch us and get all our horcruxes, to hide away in other places, before they kill us.”

“We are not going back to the school. I fucked up, I get it, but we are not giving ourselves in like that.”

His voice sounded so final, so commanding. Potter had always been a natural leader... it made Draco blush as he thought about unrealistic things, like how much he wanted to snog those determined lips until they were swollen. 

The daffodils seemed so exited by his brilliant idea that they started to slam themselves against the walls of his lungs. It wasn’t quite hurtful as one would have imagine... after a year living this, having this symptoms, everything seemed more normal or smooth than before. After Draco had almost been chocked by a daffodil, everything else seemed simple in comparison.

He couldn’t help but to cough a few petals,though. The flowers seemed to reach out to the boy, jumping out of his mouth. Potter’s eyes saddened almost instantly and then looked away.

“I know you must miss him... I just can’t risk you being dragged back to the manor. I don’t know how your family would react but...” Something was strangling his voice, he could hear it, even if Harry was trying for it to come out as normal as possible. “If you want to go and be with him, I would understand. Maybe we would had to obliviate you, because you’ve been here and you know stuff... but I get that being away from him hurts you.”

Oh boy, this lie was getting a little out of hand, wasn’t it? Potter was actually offering him to go and be with Theodore. Even after what happened, after everything. He could not tell him that it wasn’t him, Draco had this feeling, in his guts, that the boy would put two and two together the second he did that.

He didn’t want to lie either, not again, so he just responded:

“Haven’t you figured it out yet, Potter? I don’t want to leave.”

The boy raised his eyes to meet Draco’s. Soft blush on his cheeks and nose. He thought that he had, not ever, been so close to kissing him. Their faces were barely apart, he could close the distance in only seconds. The daffodils seemed to realize that this was not the moment to make him cough, they just kept dancing around, inside of him, giving him this amazing feeling of anticipation.

Potter lowered his eyes and focused for fleeting moment in Draco’s lips. Anyone would had missed it... Everyone but him, he dreamed about this too many times for it to pass unnoticed. 

They weren’t moving, the moment seemed to stretch out, time was much more dense, the air was so enchanting, and Draco could swear that Potter’s magic was calling for him.

This wasn’t something that happened with a straight man. He knew that Theo and Hermione had already pointed out that he stood a chance, but experiencing it? That was quite another thing. He thought he was going to die from the tickles in his lungs. And he needed to do something because as much time as the daffodils were giving him, if he kept on feeling them dancing, he was bound to cough a few petals... And he couldn’t have that: Potter would get awkward and scared.

Pansy’s voice telling him to try was echoing in his ears.

He tilted his head a little and closed the distance between them, planting a soft kiss on Harry’s cheek. 

He felt the boy tense next to him, and the heat that was increasing under his lips, burning them, because of Potter’s blush. 

He force himself to separate from him, if he were to keep on kissing his cheek, he might start tracing that jaw he loved so much with his kisses. That image promptly reminded him that they were alone in the room and that maybe he needed some private time quite urgently for himself. 

Draco blushed horribly as he stood up. Getting turned on by kissing Potter on the cheek, how utterly desperate. 

When he turned to look at the boy, he saw him as red as the Gryffindor flag, looking at him with wide eyes, expectant. But it was too much, at least for him, right now.

“I- I’ll go see if your- if your dad needs help with dinner.” 

He said before he left the room and closed the door behind him. He went to his room before anything else, clearly.

—————————

Draco was reading again, he could not even close his eyes after that little moment he lived with Potter, the one that alternated between being the best thing that he ever did and the most embarrassing. 

The flowers couldn’t leave him alone, they were making him cough, trying to get him to knock on Potter’s door in the middle of the night and finish what he started hours prior.

He didn’t even kissed him. It was on the cheek, it didn’t count. He kept repeating that like a mantra, trying to restrict himself from listening to the stupid daffodils.

He casted a tempus: 3.10 A.M... The Witching hour had barely started when he he heard Potter’s screams from the room next to his.

The daffodils reacted instantly, scratching their way out, suffering from hearing the boy. Draco leap off the bed, coughing the yellow petals as he walked across the bedroom, quickly as he could. 

He opened the door of the boy’s room and ran towards his bed, where Harry was moving restlessly and making pained noises.

“Potter!” He called, shaking him a little. They boy didn’t wake up so he sat on the bed and shook him harder. “Potter, it’s a nighmare. Wake up! Potter!” When that didn’t work either, Draco leaned in, trying to be as close to his ear as possible, considering that he just kept moving. “Harry, you are safe. It’s not real. Wake up, Harry.” He said softly.

The boy seemed to cease his restless moving, although he didn’t open his eyes until Draco committed the huge mistake of brushing his hand through his black messy hair. He blames the stupid flowers, they always took down his inhibitions.

“Draco..?” Potter asked with his eyes half-opened. The green in them seemed to shine even in the darkness of the room.

“You were having a nightmare. It’s late, go back to sleep.” He whispered, in a lame attempt of getting the boy to close his eyes and forget that anything even happened. 

He was standing up to leave the room when Potter spoke softly.

“Can you stay?”

The flowers twirled inside of him, enchanted by the whole thing. Draco blushed.

A lot of ways to respond to Potter flashed through his mind.

’No. There is only one bed Potty.’

‘Are you high?’

‘YES’

‘I think I might not control myself, Potter.’

‘You realize that I’m a queer seventeen year old boy? Hormones.’

‘Why?’ 

He took so much time to answer, only looking at the boy who was lying on the bed, that Harry interpreted it as if Draco were to agree. He saw him moving to a side to make a little more room on the bed for him. The blond boy just kept staring at him, one would think that he was confunded.

“I just dreamed something horrible. Please.”

He sounded so pleading... How could he ever say no to this gorgeous boy? The flowers kept moving, thrilled, inside of him. He was just glad that he didn’t cough as he laid besides Potter. The boy just frowned.

“Isn’t it uncomfortable over the covers?” He whispered and Draco blushed even more.

“I imagine that it would be uncomfortable if I were to sleep inside of them, Potter. It’s a single bed.”

A silence stretched between them, the blond boy thought that maybe Harry had fallen sleep until he talked.

“There are single beds at Hogwarts...”  
And what was that supposed to mean? “...Did you sleep over the covers there as well?”

It sounded so naive, he couldn’t help to let out a soft chuckle. Well if he wanted to make comments about his love life, it was only fair that Draco got to do the same.

“Did you slept over the covers with Ginevra, Potty?”

The boy pulled a face, his cheeks darkened, he supposed that it was from blushing but with how dark the room was, it was hard to tell. Harry looked away from his eyes.

“I didn’t sleep with Ginny.” Draco frowned.

“She couldn’t stay over? Nobody covered for you two?” Potter sighed exasperated.

“No. I mean that we didn’t sleep together at all. Like... we just snogged. Only that.”

For the love of Merlin, it was the most precious thing that he had heard in months. Clearly, Potter could do what he wanted... he didn’t owe anything to him, Draco certainly did what he pleased with Theodore... 

But Draco was an only child, one that was used to have all the things for himself, he didn’t share well, he hadn’t learned how. And now the love of his life was telling him that he only kissed the she-weasel and he asked him to stay with him after a nightmare... 

It felt like a dream, maybe it was but he didn’t care. The flowers had never been so tamed, so relaxed, dancing around quietly in a haze of pure love.

Draco’s heart was beating so fast... He forced himself to ask the only questions in his mind right then.

“Why...? Did she want to wait or something?”

Potter’s eyes locked with his; filled with questions and demanding the truth. Draco thought that his gorgeous green eyes were worse than veritaserum for him.

“I didn’t want to... Do you remember the conversation we had? About relationships?” He just nodded. “It had to do with that, I thought it had to feel different... How did you know? With Nott?”

Draco wanted to go back to New Year’s Eve and punch himself on the face. This would be so much easier to explain if he hadn’t made everyone believe that his Hanahaki was caused for Theodore. He tried to be as ambiguous as he could.

“I just needed him. Didn’t plan it... everything sort of happened and I didn’t regret it.”

“Makes sense...” the boy whispered with a very vulnerable tone in his voice.

Draco couldn’t figure out why suddenly Potter was sad again but the flowers started to get anxious, begging him to put a smile on the boy’s face. He didn’t think much as he got off the bed and pulled the covers to get inside of the bed. His heart hammering against his chest to the beat of the daffodils slamming themselves against his lungs.

When he was covered, he looked at Potter who had this amazed look in his green eyes that clashed with the astonishment of his face.

“You offered, Potty. You can’t take it back.” 

A soft smile appeared on Harry’s lips and Draco could almost hear the flowers roaring in triumph. Then, the boy snuggled a little closer and the smell of his hair invaded the blond boy’s nostrils. The flowers jumped a little.

“Close your eyes, Malfoy.” He replied with a fake annoyed tone.

Draco did as he was told. That night he slept and dreamed about Potter, as usual... The only difference was that, when he woke up, he found Harry resting his head on his chest, cuddling him. 

Draco could not contain the big, beaming, smile that appeared in his face.


	5. The wedding.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Omg! This took so much work but I’m so happy to show you this chapter. I really hope you like it💕 Tell me what you thought in the comments!! I love reading them ✨
> 
> Ps. I’ve checked but sorry if you find any errors in this one.

The fact that Granger had Obliviated her own parents and sent them off to Australia just confirmed that she was a Slytherin in disguised.

Because, yes, it took a lot of bravery but the use of unregulated memory charms was prohibited for a reason.It was an immoral act, stealing someone’s memories, it even was a last resort for the aurors... Draco thought that, in the last years, the ministry had taken too much liberty in obliviating the muggles to secure the statue of secrecy. If the stupid thing was so fragile then, clearly, there was something wrong with it, the solution wasn’t erasing muggles memories once or twice a month.Even if Draco didn’t agree with the use of the spell, well, he understood Hermione deeply. If he could have obliviated his mother and shipped her off to Australia he would have.

This girl probably was the most cunning person he knew. How could something as random as blood had gotten in the way of her being a Slytherin? Salazar should had been proud of Granger, wearing his house colors, and gaining points in classes, of the way that her mind worked; so focused on something until she gets it, the end justified the means.

Yes, Draco understood Hermione, and she understood him. She never questioned the bargain, never even asked about it... That was because she knew. Granger knew that if she loved someone as deep as he loved Potter, that she would have made the same choice. Because it wasn’t for selfless reasons, it was what he wanted, for Harry to be happy. The end justified the means, so Draco made something really illegal to get what he wanted, probably immoral too. Who cared, James was alive and Sirius was happy and Potter smiled almost every day. Who the fuck cared about the rules?

When Hermione told him everything, the first night that she moved to the Potter’s mansion, Draco didn’t say a thing. He didn’t looked at her with pity, she didn’t need that, he just said:

“Smart choice. They are safe, for real. That’s what matters.” Then he looked at her, lifting his chin a bit, challenging her. “No tears?”Her brown eyes stared back, determined.

“None. I just want to win this war.”Draco smirked and nodded.“

Sounds like a plan.”  
————————

The minute he entered the burrow, he thought that it made sense. Ron was everything in that place, the walls, the smell of Molly’s cooking, the feeling of family that he found himself overwhelmed with.

The wedding wasn’t until sundown, Potter, Granger and him were there first thing in the morning. Ron has asked Draco to join them early the prior night, at Potter’s seventeen birthday. Which hadn’t been a birthday per se, because it was just them with Sirius and Mr Potter, but at least Draco got to bake him a cake even though Harry kept saying that he didn’t need anything.

“So what do you think, Ferret? Too common for you?”Draco just kept looking around until the watch caught his eye. So useful... so warming. His father would have thought that it was unnecessary and untasteful which meant, pretty much, that the blond boy loved it.

“I think that it’s very you.” He responded smiling at him, the other boy narrowed his eyes.

“Because it smells...?” He asked, hesitant, waiting for the punch line. Draco just shook his head.

“No, weasel. Warm, cozy and kind.”Weasley returned his smile and ruffled his blond hair playfully.

“Aww, Look at Malfoy being a big softy.”He tried to free himself from Weasley grab but the redhead just kept on messing with his hair.“Who is a cute little ferret?” He asked and pinched Draco’s left cheek before letting him go.

“I bloody hate you.”“

Not true, I’m your favorite Gryffindor.”

He was about to respond, when Potter made his way out of the kitchen, excusing himself, saying that he was going to greet the rest of the Weasley family; moody tone in his voice. Draco heard Hermione sighing.

"If he gets in one of those moods today, it's your turn Ronald."

"Do you want a tour?" Weasley said, ignoring Granger entirely as he started to guide him upstairs.

"Ron! Did you hear me?"

And the answer was probably yes, but Weasley was spectacularly good at playing dumb in their little Gryffindor Trio, he just kept on climbing up the stairs.

The magic around the house was incredible, the burrow wasn't an ancestral house like Grimmauld or the manor, for what Ron had told him, the Weasleys had build it up from scratch and, through the years, they added rooms as children were added to the family.

The thing that was important about living in ancestral houses was that they had souls, they connected to their owners, giving them what they needed and sharing their magic with them... It was unbelievable that, even without all that, Draco could breath in the magic that stirred through the air at the burrow.

After the blond boy had his fair share of mocking Ron for the ridiculous Chudley Cannons flag that was hung up in his room, they went downstairs to ask Mrs and Mr Weasley if they needed help preparing everything... Draco kind of hated that whenever he was honestly happy and having a good time, something seemed to ruin that. In this case, it was Potter and the she-weasel snogging in the middle of the kitchen.

He felt frozen, he knew he needed to move but his feet seemed to be glued to the floor. The flowers were starting to choke him, just like it happened after the match, that one time when he coughed up the entire daffodil. Theodore wasn't here to save him this time, though.

To think that he actually believed that he stood a chance because of what happened last week, so fucking pathetic. He forced himself to turn around and go back to Ron's room as quick as he could. Potter was too busy shoving his tongue down Ginevra's throat to notice.

He opened the door and closed it behind him, casting a muffliato around the room before he started to force to cough. That fucking yellow flower was stuck there, he couldn't get it out. He felt his eyes burning, the tears starting to escape from his eyes... It was impossible to know if they were from the pain he was experiencing or from the very vivid image of Harry kissing her. Ginevra's hands mixing in that messy hair that he loved so much, the one that, not so many nights ago, tickled his chin as Potter rested his head on Draco's chest.

'HE CHOSE HER AGAIN. HE CHOSE HER AGAIN. HE CHOSE HER AGAIN.'

'Yes, I'm fucking aware. You are the ones who gave me hope, you useless daffodils.'.

It wasn't coming out, it was awful. His face was getting red from the suffocation. He inhaled as deeply as he could, the air barely passed through the flower, that was stuck in his chest, to get to his lungs. Draco forced to cough out that same air. A small movement, something went up a little. 'Fucking finally, get the fuck out'.. He didn't know how long he'd been in there but the door opened as he coughed up frantically...  
He had forgotten to lock the bloody door, how much worse could that day get, honestly. He lifted his gaze, fearing that,maybe, it was Potter (or hoping that it was him with his worried eyes)...

Blue widened eyes were looking at him. Weasley. He didn't know if it was worse than Potter or not. He couldn't focus on that right now. The flower. He needed the daffodil out of his windpipe. Draco forced more coughs out, blood was the first thing that came out... dripping on the wooden floor. How much longer, Merlin... Why was it hurting so much more than last time? 'Because you dared to hope. Learn your fucking lesson, Draco'

At last, when his windpipe and his throat felt like they were on fire, an entire daffodil laid before him. It's gorgeous petals were stained with his own blood, yellow and red clashing together. It was in that moment that he thought that, if the flower were a little more golden, it could be easily be a poetic representation of Potter's house.

"Holy shit, it's Harry."

Oh no.

Weasley had panic in his eyes, already taking steps back, reaching out for the bloody knob. Draco was quicker, though, he raised his wand and casted a locking spell.

"Don't you fucking dare, weasel."

He turned around, wild eyes on his face. The redhead knelt on the floor in front of him and pointed to the crime scene that laid between them.

"Are you bloody insane?? Look at this" Draco just cleaned his mouth with the back of his hand, he could see as everything fell into place in the boy's head. "Of course it's Harry, you didn't even kiss Nott until we won the cup. You disappeared. You coughed when I told you about Harry and Ginny-" Ron's rant was interrupted by his choughing. "Fuck, ferret. You need to tell him, he deserves to know."

Draco shook his head vehemently.

"No. If he rejects me, what you just saw, would only be the beggining of it. Granger agrees, you wouldn't want to upset the Mrs, would you Ronald?"

"Hermione knows? And she hasn't told Harry?" He asked in an indignant tone. " No. I can't, Draco."

Fuck, he used his name. Weasley was going to throw everything away, wasn't he? Draco took a deep breath, it still burned but at least he could actually breath now.

He casted his bloody Patronus, as flashy as it was, he needed Granger here now.

"Find Hermione, tell her that its bloody urgent. We are in Ron's room and she is the only one allowed in." The lion offered a nod before running off to find the girl.

"Unlock the door, Malfoy."

"I don't think so, Weasley."

"THIS IS INSANE! YOU ARE DYING AND THE SOLUTION IS RIGHT DOWN THE STAIRS."

"Are you stupid? He has to love me back. He was just snogging his redhead princess in the middle of the fucking kitchen. Why can't he do this things in private, for Salazar's sake?  I was perfectly capable of not kissing Theodore in public." He hissed, the scene replaying in his mind. He needed to stop thinking."I miss Theo so much, fuck."

Ron was looking at him, worried eyes on his face.

"This explains so much...” The redhead passed his hands over his face. “Did he know?"

"Theodore?" The boy nodded. "He has known since we were like twelve... Not that I've ever told him, but yes, he knew... That was kind of the reason why we fought when I ran away, after the department of mysteries, he knew that I had done it for him...”

Suddenly, the door was opening. Draco knew that Granger would unlock it with ease. The blond boy vanished the daffodil off the floor, trying to hide away any kind of evidence. Just in case.

The girl entered quickly and closed the door behind her.

“What happened? I was with Harry when I heard your message.” She hissed. “I had to make up an excuse! He thinks that we are talking about his birthday present.” Draco rolled his eyes.

“See, Weasley? Now we have to get Potty a present. This is entirely your fault.”

Ron ignored him as he turned to face Hermione.

“You knew it was Harry? This is really bad Mione. He will hate you for keeping this from him. I’m not going to be a part of it.” Then he turned to Draco. “Eventually, that door will open and I’m going to tell him, don’t think I won’t.”

“I know, weasel. That was kind of the point of calling her here.” He gestured in Ron’s general direction as he continued. “Work your magic, Granger. I’m not good with those spells.”

The redhead widened his eyes as he tightened the grip of his wand. He wouldn’t attack Hermione, not in a million years. The girl, on the other hand, was looking at Draco as if his request were the most illogical thing she had heard.

“I’m not obliviating him!! Ronald, you can’t tell Harry. I don’t care if he hates us, he was just telling me about his kiss with Ginny, he needs time.”

“Are you kidding me?? MALFOY DOESN’T HAVE TIME.  Maybe, if we tell him, he would at least try to date him!” And then, he seemed to remember something because he turned to Draco looking furious. “Harry was your impossible thing to get? I TOLD YOU SINCE LAST SUMMER THAT HE LIKES BOYS TOO, YOU HALF-WITTED EXCUSE OF A SLYTHERIN! Cunning my arse!” His wild eyes blinked repeatedly. “Oh for the love of Godric, you fell off your broom because of him, didn’t you?? You are lucky that you already have a terminal disease because I could literally kick your arse right now.”

“Come at me Weasley, I’m not telling him shit and your two options are staying silent or going back to be the good (horribly mistaken) friend that you were, like, twenty minutes ago.”

Ron glared at him. Tense silence stretched between them. He closed his blue eyes before sighing.

“If you get worse the deal is off. You scared me today, ferret. I can live without seeing you like that ever again.”

“Fine.”

“Good.”

“Then it’s settled.”

“I guess so.”

“One attempt, Ronald, and I swear-“

“I’m really trusting that you are making the right call in all of this, Mione.”

“I am.”

“She is.”

“We‘ll see.”

————————

The day passed by rather quickly. Between avoiding Potter and the she-weasel and helping Mr. Weasley to set everything, soon enough, Draco found himself helping with Hermione’s make-up.

“Don’t put too much, I’ll look stupid.” The girl said with her eyes closed, Draco chuckled.

“Believe me, Weasley is going to drool when he sees you.”

Granger’s cheeks turned as red as her dress; her voice came out shy.

“You know about that...?” The blond boy snorted and added a little of gold eyeshadow in the center of her eyelids.

“Who doesn’t? Honestly, Oblivious-Potter and Pining-Ginevra already dated and you two blush at the mere mention of the other.” 

Wrong move. The daffodils started to hurt him. He coughed with his mouth closed to prevent the petals from coming out and falling over the girl’s lap and staining her dress.

“They are not together, if that’s what you are thinking. Ginny wanted to say goodbye and, believe it or not, the kiss was kind of his birthday present.” She clarified with a kind tone, although Draco could hear her annoyance over the last part.

“She really thinks that she snogs that well...huh...”

“Stop worrying, Draco.” She looked at him, as he added a little glitter on the corner of her eyes. “You look hot, if Harry doesn’t notice then he is more of an idiot than I thought.” 

Draco smirked at her.

“I don’t really roll that way, Granger, but I’m flatter that you have acknowledged how attractive I am.” 

He was aware that he looked good, he was wearing his navy dress-robes and his make up was a combination of silver with white glitter. He used a soft blue eyeliner in the end, he had tried with the black one but it didn’t look as good as he had hoped. If Theodore were here he would had said that he didn’t need all that crap on his face, that one of the advantages of being a Black and a Malfoy was being naturally pretty; to which Draco would always answer ‘My, Theo, you think I’m always pretty?’ and the brunette would roll his eyes in annoyance.

By the time he was done with her make up, they could hear everyone arriving at the burrow. People greeted happily outside, and Draco offered his arm to help her down the stairs with those heels that she hated so much.

Hermione was utterly nervous about going downstairs, anyone would had thought that she was the one who was soon to be married, not Fleur.

The dress-robed suited Sirius and Mr. Potter rather nicely, they clearly had gone to their fair share of social events to know how to dress properly; and his cousin had an amazing sense of style, of course. Weasley was standing next to them with the company of a redhead that Draco could not identify. Weird, he thought that he had already met all of Ron’s siblings.

When the group turned to look at them, the reactions were better than he had imagined. Sirius and Mr. Potter looked pleased with Draco’s outfit and Weasley was gaping like an idiot, his eyes fixed on Hermione... And Merlin knows why, Ron’s creep of a brother? Cousin? was staring at him shamelessly. The man didn’t even blink.

Draco said hello to Sirius and James before turning to introduce himself to this very awkward man.

“I’m Malfoy, Draco Malfoy. It’s nice to meet you...” He said, waiting for the man to clarify his name; behind him, Granger and Weasley were giggling like two kids, while his cousin and Mr Potter looked rather amused at the whole scene. 

The redhead’s eyes locked with his and the man passed his hand through his hair, a gesture that reminded him of Potter. ‘Wait a second...’ He looked at the rest of the group and he just knew.

“Oh, guess we don’t need an introduction then.”

Potter muttered something along the lines of ‘Guess we don’t’ before starting to walk towards the place where the wedding was being held.

———————

The ceremony had been beautiful, a perfect mixture of Fleur's culture with the Weasley's traditions...  
  
Draco was enchanted with everything, he always loved weddings... The bride's dress, the groom's dress-robes, decorations, the vows... Magic always seemed to surround the recently married couple, bringing them even more together and making them even more in love than before.  
  
Of course, that only happen when you got married because of love, not in arrange marriages like it was costumary in the pureblood families. His parents were an exception to the rule, because his mother once told him that she had liked his father since her first year at school. So since that moment, she asked Draco's grandmother, every summer, if she could arrange a marriage with Lucius Malfoy until it became true. His father was taken with Narcissa as well, so as their Hogwarts years went by, they fell madly in love with each other.  
  
Draco always dreamed of marrying Harry Potter. He dreamed about having a summer wedding, just like Bill’s and Fleur's, in a beautiful garden, something small intimate with all the ancient traditions; the dances, everything. Now, to that fantasy, he added dancing to 'Love of my life' in their first dance.  
  
Not that it would ever happen, of course.  
  
He took a sip of his wine as he watched the happy couple dancing in the middle of the dance floor. Everyone was clapping around them as they danced.  
  
He could see Mr. Potter smiling softly as he looked at Sirius who grinning wide and beautifully at Bill and Fleur as he clapped to the beat.  
  
Next to them, Remus was trying to explain to Nymphadora that he was quite happy not dancing at all... They were so cute together, it had been quite a surprise to everyone when, last year, after the battle, Tonks kissed him in front of the entire Order of the Phoenix. During the couple of times that they went to have dinner at the Potter's mansion, Draco had taken the opportunity to remind Remus of that scolding, the prior summer, that the blond boy had received for his joke about dating Charlie because of their age difference.  
  
Draco's eyes drifted to look at the dragon-tamer. Charlie was laughing at something that Fred and George just said, glass in hand. His dress-robes were almost as dashing as Bill's given the fact that he was the best man, Mrs. Weasley had been quite insistent about keeping the forms and that included the dress-code; the twins were pretty much annoyed about the entire thing. Charlie must had feel his gaze on him because he looked at Draco. The blond boy looked away as quickly as he could, blush appearing in his cheeks.  
  
"I think your brother caught me staring at him, be a good friend and hide me, Weasley."  
  
The redhead chuckled and waved at Charlie. The blond boy punched him on the arm, which only made Ron laugh before seeing something that seemed to erase his smile automatically. He followed the direction of his friend's eyes to find the source of his discomfort. It was Granger laughing with her international quidditch star ex-boyfriend.  
  
Draco brought his glass to his lips before before emptying its content. Hermione was too busy talking with Krum, and Potter was too busy pretending to be a Weasley cousin and talking with Ginevra; hence Ron and him being the bitter bastards of the party. Cheers.The alcohol was starting to low his inhibitions. He didn't mean to drink as much as he had but because of what happened that same morning, he thought that he deserved a bloody break.  
  
He turned to look at his friend again.  
  
"You know what would be considerably more fun than moping about our love interests, weasel?" The redhead looked at him with amusement in his expression.  
  
"Are you drunk already?" Draco only moved his hand, gesturing that yes, more or less. "What's the plan?" Ron asked before leaving his glass on the nearest table. Draco just grabbed his arm and dragged him towards the dance floor.  
  
The songs were more fun by then, not as fun as dancing to Queen or, well, any other muggle band, but it was definitely more entertaining than spending the entire night looking at Potter with longing eyes. The song was customary danced by couples, Weasley also knew the steps, probably because Molly or Arthur had force their children to practice before the wedding. Draco and Ron twirled and jumped to the beat, laughing everytime that the weasel stomped on his feet and the blond boy pinched his arm in return.  
  
After a while, Draco noticed that almost everyone were looking at them, probably because they were laughing so bloody laud that they were interrupting the party.  
  
"I feel judged, ferret."  
  
"Couldn't agree more, weasel. How about a drink?"  
  
"Yeah, no. You are not allowed to drink anymore, I don't want you tripping all over the place."  
  
"I beg your pardon? I seem to recall that you were one who couldn't walk straight to your common room." Weasley smiled smugly at him.  
  
"Well, at least, I walk straight sometimes." Draco barked out a laugh and nudged him playfully.  
  
Suddenly, someone was touching Draco's shoulder. When he turned around, he found Charlie's gorgeous eyes looking at him, small smirk on his lips. 

"Nice dancing, very smooth, not clumsy at all." Draco lifted his chin.

"I'll have you known that I'm a spectacular dancer, your brother is the one who moves like a troll." Draco could hear Ron muttering a 'Fuck off'.

"Well, how about you dance with a more qualified partner?" The redhead said as he offered his hand to take him back to the dance floor.

Merlin, how Draco wished to don't give a fuck. To not care about Potter, to not think about Theodore; because maybe, if he didn't care about anything, Charlie would seem like an awesome choice. Tall, handsome, brave and kind... Good dancer too, he noticed, funny as hell, he kept whispering things in Draco's ear, trying to make him laugh. He praised him too, said that he looked dashing and that his make-up looked beautiful.

It was so fucking frustrating, he wanted to be able to look at people, really look at them. Like he looked at Theodore, and still, everytime that Potter fucking talked to him, the brunette would instantly disappear from his mind. Because there was no comparison. Yes, he loved Theodore but he wasn't in love  with him and he definitely couldn't even look at Charlie, not more than admiring and enjoying his company.

A bright light irrupted in the tend, a silver Lynx announcing what Draco feared since last year. 

"The Ministry has fallen. Scrimgeour is dead. They are coming." 

No. Not now. 

Everyone started to apparate away and in a matter of seconds Death Eaters were attacking them. Charlie was fighting, along with the rest of the Weasleys, except for Ron who was running towards Hermione. Draco almost ran behind him...

Yeah, no. The golden trio could take care of themselves, Mr. Potter on the other hand had already died once and Sirius tended to do reckless shit when someone was in danger. He found Potter trying to help Ginevra, shouting like a mad man and he caught him by his shirt to stop him.

"SHE IS GOING TO BE FINE! GO, GET THE FUCK OUT OF HERE!" Draco shouted in between the caos, As he pushed him towards Hermione who was already holding Weasley's hand. Hesitation flashed through the girl's eyes when she realized that the blond boy wasn't making any attempt of running away with them. 

"GO. NOW." He commanded at her and the three of them apparated away. Draco couldn't miss the panic in Potter's face before they disappeared.

Good. Now let's find the other two reckless Gryffindors. 

It was madness, people were taken away and he could hear the Death Eaters demanding for the guests to hand in Potter. He found Sirius and Mr. Potter fighting back to back, quite literally, great method to avoid being curse on the back but still, the killing curse couldn't be blocked... They needed to leave. 

He ran towards them, almost knocking them to the floor as he casted a Fumos Charm. The cloud of smoke started to surround them as Draco yelled at them.

“We have to leave! We have to find them!” 

And that was enough explanation for James who caught both of their arms and apparated them into the middle of the living room of the mansion.

Silence. Fucking finally.

“Kid, you are bleeding.” 

“I’ll get the Dittany.” He heard Sirius say before running towards the bathroom cabinet.

Everything was moving too fast. He felt the potion drip over the wound on his shoulder, closing it, hurting like hell. He let out a pained noise.

“Sorry, little cousin, almost done.” Draco shook his head.

“Not your fault, I drank too much.” 

After Sirius was done, he asked him to fetch the map that was hidden under his bed. His cousin looked at him with confused eyes but did as he was told. Mr. Potter was frantically pacing around him, so bloody nervous. 

“Hurry the fuck up, Sirius!” 

“DON’T YOU YELL AT ME, YOU BRAT!” His voice sounded muffled because of the distance and maybe because he had his head under Draco’s bed to get the map.

When Sirius got downstairs to where they were, he had a frowned on his face.

“It looks like a regular map.”

“Because it is. Give it to me.” 

His cousin put the map on his hand and Draco unfolded carefully to lay it, on the floor, in front of him. Then he grabbed his wand and casted a Diffindo on his hand. He heard the two men gasp, surprised, as he closed his hand tightly, letting the blood drip over the map. Once it seemed like a good amount, he asked for more dittany on his hand. 

‘This is going to work, if you could bring Mr. Potter back to life, you definitely can do this.’

He closed his eyes, trying to focus on the spell and only the spell, on the urge to find them. ‘Powerful spells need powerful magic sources, my Dragon prince. Hate or love are powerful enough to kill or save someone, always choose love. Always love deeply, Draco.’ His mother’s voice was echoing in his head. 

Love. Potter. Weasley. Granger.

He needed to find them. 

He took another deep breath before pronouncing the enchantment.

“Reperio ones diligamus, datur nobis ad ones, quae sunt sanguine.” The drops of blood seemed to begin shaking as they listened to Draco’s command. “Reperio ones diligamus, datur nobis ad ones, quae sunt sanguine.” They started to move, slowly, leaving a trail of red as they gathered together and moved towards their destiny. “Reperio ones diligamus, datur nobis ad ones, quae sunt sanguine.” The blood settled on a little spot. Draco frowned.

“Oh for fuck’s sake! They can’t be this stupid!” 

His cousin was frowning at the map as well.

“That’s Grimmauld.”

They went to fetch them when Draco said that he was feeling good enough to endure another apparition.  
Wands out, entering the old house again, risking being found by Severus again. 

They heard Potter casting a stupefy as soon as they crossed the door. Mr. Potter casted a protego just as quick as his son.

“It’s us, Potty. Lower your wand.”

But the three of them were holding out their wands still, and neither Sirius or James lowered theirs.

“What was the first thing that you said about hufflepuff when we met, Malfoy?” The green-eyed boy asked, suspicious.

“That I’d leave if I got sorted into Hufflepuff. When did we meet?”

“At Madam Malkin’s, your mother was looking at wands for you and you told me that you were going to drag your father to look at brooms after.”

Finally, Potter lowered his wand and everyone did the same.

“Why didn’t you come with us? You bloody scared me to death.” The boy hissed at him. 

“I needed to find Sirius and your father, Weasley was wearing the necklace,I knew I’d find you after.”

Potter frowned, maybe the weasel hadn’t told him about it... Ron walk towards him and pulled him into a hug. 

“This is really the best present that I’ve gotten, ever. Thanks for coming to get us, we didn’t know if we were being followed.”

Draco smiled softly and tightened his arms around the redhead.

“You are not getting rid of me that easily, weasel. I’m just glad that you are safe, really... and don’t you ever dare to take the necklace off.”

“I promise I won’t, ferret.”

Potter face was as moody as it could be, probably mad at Draco for separating him from Ginevra in the middle of the fight. Draco pulled away from his friend and turned to look at the rest of the group.

“Now, how about we really start that horcrux hunt?”


	6. Sleepovers.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m so fucking happy that I’ve got to finally write this!!! Please let me know what you think!! ✨✨ I love to read your comments💕
> 
> Ps. I’ve checked but I’m sorry if you find any errors in this one.

The first thing they did when they returned to the mansion was secure the wards again. Draco had suggested it, he was really fucking paranoid. When they finished someone would have, probably, set themselves on fire if they tried to get through them. And the blond boy conjured a bunch of traps around the house, just in bloody case.

Second thing was deciding where Ron would sleep.

"If Padfoot shares with dad we get a room each..." Potter said very casually. Mr. Potter snorted.

"Well... I'm not going to complain about that." The man responded, looking at Sirius with a smug smile.

Weasley said that he really didn't need a room to himself, he didn't want to impose or anything. Draco rolled his eyes and explained that Potter was just being a little shit.

"I just don't want to hear Ron snoring the entire night."

What a prat. If Sirius didn't want to share with James he shouldn't have to. This was Potter thinking that he could fix everything in the world, even his father's love life.

Draco walked passing right by the green-eyed boy to start climbing up the stairs.

"Don't worry, weasel. You can sleep in my room, after living with Crabb for six years, I can handle any kind of snoring."

Weasley nodded, his face seemed to be relieved. When Potter said that stupid thing about him, It had made the redhead feel self-conscious, and really, if he were in Ron's place, he would have punched Harry in the face, considering all the times that his friend invited him to stay at the burrow and shared his room. Draco clearly knew that this was Potter lame attempt to bring Sirius and James together, it had nothing to do with Ron or his sleeping habits. The blond boy just thought that it seemed rather juvenile and unfair.

Harry's face colored red as he looked at his friend following Draco to his room.

"What? No! He can sleep with me, Malfoy."

Luckily for him, Granger intervened.

"You just said that you didn't want to share your room, Harry."

"I didn't mean it!"

"Forget it, Potty. You got to share a room with him all these years, now it's my turn." He said in a playful tone. Weasley was smiling smugly, probably because they were fighting for who got to spend time with him, and Ron loved attention. Who could blame him,really? With six siblings and two popular best friends, attention was something that the redhead craved deeply. Maybe that was why they got along so well, Draco showed that he cared with details, things that demonstrated that he really knew the people who mattered to him.

He heard Potter snort, the kind of snort that he let out before saying something mean.

"Don't tell me that you have a crush on Ron too, Malfoy." The boy said, and everyone around then widened their eyes, shocked.

Where had that soft and shy boy gone, huh? Draco walked slowly to where he was, lifting his chin and with a determined look on his face. Potter wasn't intimidated, though, he was too angry for that. Merlin only knew what the hell was his problem.

"You are going to take back the rubbish you just said and apologize to me for being a brat, Potter." The boy just held his gaze.

"Or what?"

"Or nothing. I'm not a child like you, I'm not going to hurt you just because I'm angry."

Something in the boy's eyes seemed to soften then, not that he was going to admit it. Harry crossed his arms and looked away.

"Mate, come on. Just bloody apologize."

"Leave it, weasel. Let's go set the room for you."

Ron looked at him with worried eyes before glaring at his best friend and following him upstairs.  
\-----------------------

The screams of Potter woke him up again. Draco opened his tired eyes and saw Weasley on his bed, sleeping in the most undignified way possible. One leg was hanging off the bed with one arm on his face and his mouth open as he snored every now and then.

The screams persisted, his daffodils started to hurt him, and as much as he wished to close his eyes and try to sleep again, he knew that he couldn't. He was surprised that no one heard them too. It was always him who got up to try to sooth the boy.

He got off the bed and tried to be as quiet as he could to avoid waking up the redhead too, not that it made a difference, considering that Potter was screaming bloody murder and Weasley still was in dreamland.

He entered the other boy's room and, and repeated the same things that seemed to work last time, he whispered soothing things as he brushed his hair with his hand. Harry just kept on moving restlessly.

"Stop." The dark-haired boy pleaded in his nightmares. 

"Harry, It's not real, wake up." Draco spoke louder than before and green eyes opened suddenly, scared, Potter was already reaching for his wand under his pillow. The blond boy held his arms in place, trying to avoid being hexed, just for being a good person and saving the boy from his nightmares. "Easy there, golden boy." 

Harry stopped moving and looked at him.

"It's you." Potter sighed with relief as he grabbed Draco's arms and touched them. The flowers in him twirled, just as shocked as he was. After what happened that afternoon he didn't expect for the boy to show any kind of affection. "You are okay, you are here, with us." He seemed to be speaking to himself more than to him but the blond boy responded nonetheless.

"I'm here, with you." 

And Salazar, he didn't have even a little bit of dignity, did he? He should be mad at him, he should have left the room the second that Potter had woken up. But he didn't and now Harry was moving to make room for him to lay down beside him, with pleading eyes, without even pronouncing a word. He should leave, he really really should.

With daffodils dancing in his lungs, Draco found himself lying right beside him, looking at those piercing green eyes. The room was dark, the only light was the one from the moon that reflected through the window.

"Want to talk about it?" Harry shook his head.

They laid in silence for a while. Draco was waiting for Potter to fall asleep to sneak out of the room and catch some sleep himself, but the dark-haired boy just kept looking at him, not even attempting to close his eyes, barely even blinking. 

"Are you still mad at me?" His soft voice felt like a call to the flowers, who started to scratch him, begging him to forgive him... But Draco was still pissed.

"You know, if you really think that I fall in love with all my friends and that my favorite hobby is turning straight boys, you should really stop inviting me to these sleepovers." He stated with a replicating tone. Potter frowned and looked away.

"I don't think that, don't be daft."

"Then explain your ridiculous accusation today."

The boy shrugged and started to play with the sheet that was covering him.

"I don't know..." Draco just looked at him, arching his eyebrow, waiting for an explanation. “You spent the entire day with him... Literally. I didn’t even see you.” Draco snorted.

“Maybe you just didn’t notice, Potter. You were quite busy with Ginevra and with Dumbledore’s will.”

“What do you mean?” The boy asked playing dumb, but if he was going to act that way, then Draco would act twice as dumb.

“The reading... Weasley, Granger and you sat with the Minister... well, ex-minister? Whatever.”

“He died today, be respectful, Malfoy.” The blond boy just rolled his eyes.

“Yes, you seem to be very affected by it, Potter.”

“I wasn’t distracted by the will.” The boy interrupted him, his green eyes looking right at him.

No, he was distracted by Ginevra. Draco knew that. Potter was distracted by her curves, her freckles, her silky long red hair and her blue eyes. She was all that Draco wasn’t, and he hated that. The daffodils started to hurt him again, being physically close to the boy just prevented him from coughing, at least this close, with this level of intimacy, the flowers seemed to be drugged, they reacted slower.

The boy wasn’t offering more explanation and, because Draco was a masochist, he decided to bring up the subject. He was dying for answers.

“I know, Potty. The entire burrow knows. You two snogged in the middle of the kitchen, in a public place of the house.” Suddenly, those green eyes widened.

“You saw that?”

‘YES, WE SAW AND IT HURT US! TELL HIM IT HURT US’

Yeah, no. Draco was desperate but not that desperate.

“Who didn’t?” He said with an aloof tone, trying to avoid his eyes. “Was it good? I imagine that you missed her-“

“I was the one who broke up with her, Draco.”

“You don’t have to explain anything to me, I’m was just ask-“

“I want to.” The boy grabbed his hand to force Draco to pay attention to him. The daffodils started to dance, he could feel their happiness like a warm in his chest, spreading through all his body. “She thought that it was like a time-out, until everything was over, that’s why she kissed me... I guess I just didn’t know how to say no to her. But I told her, I told her that she shouldn’t wait for me, that it would be ridiculous.”

Draco just chuckled softly.

“You know that she is still going to wait for you, right? After the way you kissed her, who wouldn’t?” He didn’t want to make it so obvious. He really tried to keep those kinds of comments to himself, or maybe also to the daffodils that kept cutting his lungs at every mention of the she-weasel; but he was tired, he was lying in Potter’s bed, surrounded by his cologne and the smell of his sweat... It was impossible for his brain cells to work properly.

Potter smirked at him.

“If you want for me to snog you, all you gotta do is ask, Malfoy.”

‘It’s a joke. It’s a joke. It’s a joke.’ He kept repeating to himself.

But what if it wasn’t? What if Potter would actually kiss him if he asked... His body was frozen, the only movement was from the flowers that started to slam themselves against the walls of his lungs, trying to get him to do something. So Draco did the thing he knew best, he challenged him.

“I don’t know if you could meet my standards, scarhead.”

He totally could, even if Potter just pecked him, it would probably be the most perfect thing that he ever experienced.

That seemed to erase the green-eyed boy’s smirk off his face. Determined look on his eyes, looking for the truth on Draco’s grey ones.

“What? Is Nott a sex god or something?”

He, honestly, didn’t know. Theodore had told him that Draco was good in bed... but he had other persons to compare him with. The blond boy liked sleeping with him, and sometimes it was mind-blowing, but he didn’t know if Theo was a sex god. He supposed that, at the least, he needed someone to compare him with, to really be sure.

And if he ever got to sleep with Potter, that comparison would be unfair, because even if Harry sucked in bed, for Draco it would feel amazing. Just because it would be with him.

“Theodore is a lot of things.” He answered in an ambiguous kind of way. A lame attempt of making the boy jealous, like he felt when he saw him shoving his tongue down the she-weasel’s throat. Even in the darkness of the room, he could see that Potter had a disgusted expression on. "You don't have grounds to be grossed out, Potter. I could literally see the strings of saliva between the two of you this morning." The dark-haired boy groaned.

"Fine, I get it, I'm awful at kissing. Can you just shut up now?" 

Draco frowned, trying to recall when he might have said something that sounded like that. The flowers were fucking mad at him, demanding for him to fix this right then and there.

"I wouldn't know, Potter. I didn't snog you. Why do you care so much anyway? If you are the best kisser in the world for your redhead princess it should be more than enou-"

His rant was cut short by Harry moving forward and putting his lips on his. Draco was wide-eyed not moving an inch, with fear of fucking this all up. The flowers seemed to be screaming inside of him 'DO SOMETHING! THIS IS OUR CHANCE. and he was just begging not to fucking cough any petals because it might scare Potter away.

Suddenly, Draco was very aware that he wasn't moving at all, not even to return the kiss, and Potter separated his mouth from him. His green eyes were full of fear and his cheeks were horribly blushed.

"I'm so- I'm sorry. Are you okay?" Harry stuttered.  
Draco just blinked.

"I thought you were straight." Was the only thing that he could say.

'ARE YOU FUCKING DUMB??' the daffodils seemed to be screaming at him, and really, maybe they were right.

"I like both, I think..." Potter whispered, in a shy way. "I don't really know, that was my first kiss with a boy and it barely even counted."

Was this..? Did he just..?

His green eyes were looking at him, his mouths were so close... Draco could smell him everywhere and this was like his wildest dreams coming true... Even if Potter was asking him to be his little sexuality experiment he didn't have the strength in him to deny this to him. 

Fuck it. Maybe he would end up coughing an entire garden out if Potter kissed him and then said that he actually only liked girls, but honestly, he didn't give a fuck right now. And the daffodils were imploring himto do something, tickling him while they twirled inside of him, filling him with anticipation.

"Want to find out?" He asked, his eyes fixed on Potter's lips. He saw the boy sightly licking his lips, the breath that escaped of his mouth brushed Draco's and he thought that he might just die if he said no.

But Potter didn't say anything. The boy just moved forward, like the first time, only that this time he approached him slowly, putting his hand on the blond boy's jaw to bring him closer, and when their lips were already brushing together, their breaths interwinding, almost tasting each other, he whispered:

"Are you sure?" For Salazar's sake! What did Saint Potter want? For him to beg? 

The boy was looking at him, waiting for an answer, and Draco was so fucking scare of saying the wrong thing that he threw the last bit that remained of his dignity out the window.

"Yes, Harry. Kiss me."

And Potter did. Softly at first, just tasting Draco's lower lip and touching his hair... Then, he started to move his mouth over his, setting the pace of the kiss in a hesitant kind of way, like if he were waiting for the blond boy's approval to go further or to know if he was doing it right. 

Draco could only think that Harry's mouth tasted wonderful, and his flowers were dancing inside of him like never before, roaring in triumph pushing him to do more, to deepen the kiss. Without thinking it through, he brushed his tongue against the boy's lower lip. Potter let out a soft moan, that sounded like the most precious thing that he had heard in his entire life, and opened his mouth to allow the blond boy to do as he pleased. It felt amazing.

Harry laid his back entirely on the mattress and pulled Draco to bring him closer. He was almost lying his entire weight on Potter then, carefully lifting his waist... He really didn't want for the boy to feel his hard-on and freak out because it reminded him that he was, in fact, a boy. 

"So? Verdict?" Harry whispered when he separated himself for a bit to catch some breath.

"I thought that this was your experiment, scarhead." He responded, licking his lips. He couldn't think, all his senses were focused on Potter.

"I like both, yes." He said quickly. "But how was it? Did you like it?"

He sounded so impatient, so eager to know if he was a good kisser, Draco laughed as he laid his head back on the pillow.

"Yes, Potter. Merlin forbid, that you'd be any less than perfect in everything that you do, even kissing."

His green eyes widened as a soft smug smile appeared on his lips.

"You think I'm perfect, Malfoy?"

Draco was tempted to say yes to him, to fucking confess everything. But they weren't kissing anymore and he really didn't know what Potter expected of all of this. The flowers didn't even hurt him anymore, they seemed to be so tamed now, dizzy from the kiss (just like he was).

"I'm not feeding your gigantic ego, Potty."

He started to get up, just because he didn't know what the hell was he supposed to do, but Potter grabbed his arm and pulled him to where he was before. Almost lying on top of him, his face just inches apart.

"Stay." 

"Ron is going to notice if I'm not there when he wakes up." Potter groaned.

"This is exactly why we needed to have a room each."

"Did you plan to have a lot of sleepovers?"

Harry blushed horribly and lowered his gaze, avoiding his eyes. 

"Don't be stupid. I just liked sleeping next to you... I don't have nightmares when you stay." The last part came out almost like a whisper.

Draco sighed and started to move the covers. Once he was inside of the bed he looked at Potter.

"Happy?" Harry just smiled and snuggled a little closer.

"Yes, thank you."

"It's nothing, you are explaining this to Weasley, though."

"No, I mean for everything. Thank you for staying here, thank you for going to Grimmauld to get us, thank you for the kiss." The boy said as he rested his head in Draco's chest. "I always feel safe when you are around."

The daffodils seemed delighted to hear that and Draco had to fight every fiber of his body to restrict himself from kissing him again. How could he just say things like that? Without a warning, without expecting for Draco to fall even more madly in love with him?

He didn't respond, he pretended to fall sleep because he was a coward, because he was too afraid of everything just going away if he said the wrong thing. 

After a while,he was falling asleep for real, but he could swear that he felt Potter kissing his chest and whispering 'Goodnight'.


	7. Unsent letters and unsaid things.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry I took so long to update! With college everything is crazy but I’m really happy that I’ve finally got to write this. Please let me know what you think! 
> 
> I hope you like it as much as I enjoyed writing it 💕
> 
> Ps. I’ve checked but I apologize if you find any errors in this one.

Prat:

I fucking despise you for staying, you left me alone and I hate it.

Potter won’t stop knocking on my bloody door just to see if I’m alright and clearly the answer is no.

I know that you are never going to read this but I needed to tell you.

You can shove your ‘l love you too’ where the sun doesn’t shine.

Sincerely, 

Draco

Theodore:

I’m so fucking sorry for not feeling the same way. I really am... But I do love you, I hope you know that.

Are you alright? Did they punish you? Part of me feels relieved that you didn’t kill anyone but the other part wonders if it was the right decision considering your situation... 

I think that if you saw me now it would help you to fall out of love with me because I’m disgusting. I haven’t left my bedroom in almost a week (except to go to the bathroom) and I don’t remember when was the last time that I had a shower... I know you always hated when I wallowed in my own sadness.

Don’t worry, I hate me too.

Be safe,

Draco

Theo:

Potter says that he can vouch for you. It’s because of the Hanahaki but even if I die, this is the golden boy we are talking about; he’ll probably do it anyway. 

So avoid making huge offenses, okay? You were a minor when you took the mark, nobody can hold that against you. Just... fucking stay out of it, if you can. Potter will take care of it after everything is over.

Even if you never read this... I feel weird talking about him to you. It would be rather cruel, don’t you think?

I miss you dearly. Please be safe,

Draco

Dear Theodore:

Remember when mother use to tell us about James and Sirius? She always left things out of her stories. I think that anyone with two eyes could have tell that they had feelings for each other, so mother definitely knew.

It would have been nice to know about it, back then, when we were little... It would have helped with all the internalized homophobia. 

I think you would love them if you met them (talking more than ten words, I mean). Maybe when this is all over I can introduce you... I want you to have people that care for you after I’m gone. 

How are you over there? Sometimes I think about sending my Patronus to ask you... But it’s a bloody lion, so flashy that everyone would see it.  
I wish that I could really talk to you instead of writing letters and putting them in a box.

I’m so fucking worried. 

Be safe, 

Draco

Theodore:

I know I said that talking about this with you would be weird but I don’t have anyone else to talk to... I can’t tell Sirius or Mr. Potter, they would tell him... So here it goes and I hope you don’t hate me for it.

Potter blushed today because I kissed him on the cheek. We kind of almost really kiss but I’ve chicken out. I can’t believe that I’m saying this,but maybe you were right and I have a chance. 

I know that you told me that you would support me even if you hate him, nonetheless, I feel like I need to explain myself. 

I really love you. I love you so much that I wish that you find someone worthy of you, someone that puts you first in everything... I don’t think that I’m that person and it pains me, it really does. Of course, you already know that. Because it’s you, and you always know this things. 

Thank you for everything,

Draco

Dear Theodore:

There is so much to write that I don’t know where to begin.

I’m deeply thankful and sad that I didn’t see you at the burrow. Thankful that we didn’t have to fight each other , and sad because I think it would have been nice to see you to know if you are alive. Which you are, I refuse to think otherwise. 

We are okay, the golden trio escaped and I convinced Sirius and Mr Potter to run away to find them. I can’t believe that everything went to shit when August had barely even began. 

Weasley knows too now, Granger refused to obliviate him so I’m praying he keeps this to himself. How, you ask? Well, funny story... Potter snogged the Weaselette in the middle of the kitchen and I saw it... Yes, I ended up coughing an entire daffodil again and Ron saw it. 

So... I did something really stupid after we came back... even though I saw the kiss, even though it almost choked me to death to cough that stupid flower... An opportunity to kiss Potter presented itself to me and I took it. I’m not giving you the details because my cruelty has its limits.

I fell asleep with him resting his head on my chest, it was not the first time that it happened but I didn’t expect it after the kiss... I thought it meant something, I’m so fucking stupid.

I’ve fucked up, Theo. I really did. He is acting like everything is as normal as ever, and the flowers are tearing me to pieces. Sometimes I don’t even cough petals, just blood. 

I think that my body is suffering from abstinence syndrome: now that the daffodils now how it feels to be close to him, they are begging me to kiss him again. Which I clearly can not do, because he doesn’t want to, he always finds excuses to leave the room if I’m there.

I can’t train like this. I’m too fucking weak. Most of the times I feel like I’m going to pass out from the pain itself... I have the amortentia that you gave me, at least... it kind of helps to avoid having four coughing fits per hour.

Weasley is pretty pissed too. He asks me all the bloody time if Harry did something, I always respond that no (at least not on purpose). I heard him arguing with Hermione last week, saying that he would punch Potter if it weren’t for the fact that his best friend doesn’t have the slightest idea that he is the cause of all this. I talked to him afterwards, explained to him that he could not tell him, not now at least.

I apologize for the drops of blood on the parchment, I can’t help it. 

I miss you more than ever, I know it’s selfish but I could really use our not thinking methods right now... although, I fear that my mouth tastes like blood all the time and I look very unattractive.

I hope I see you soon,

Draco

He folded the parchment and carefully put the letter inside of the box, before closing it and hiding it again under his bed. 

The training was cut short because of the blond boy’s coughing fit. Potter had teased him about something meaningless, it kind of sounded like flirting at the time, and then the scene of the kiss started to replay in his head and it became unbearable to be there.

Everyone was getting used to it by now. Draco tried to talk to Granger about him being a liability in the battle field but the girl just ignored him or changed the subject completely.

He sighed, gathering his strength to stand up and walk towards the bathroom to brush his teeth. 

——————

He entered the kitchen and everyone was sitting at the table, drinking tea or whatever. He was so bloody tired.

Draco pulled a chair and sat besides Weasley, who was looking at him with worried eyes.

“I can feel you staring, weasel.”

“How are you, kid?” Mr. Potter asked.

“Fantastic.” He said as he raised the amortentia vial to inhale its fumes, an attempt of calming the daffodils that started to hurt him again at the sight of Potter. 

“What’s that...?”

He just offered the vial to him, and when the smell hit him, the redhead flushed a little. Draco just smirked and smelled the vial again.

It was not a good coping mechanism but it was the best painkiller he could find. The potions for the lungs gave him nausea and the only thing that seemed to stop the flowers from cutting him open was this, so... 

“What is it?” Potter demanded to know.

He always got uncomfortable with his proximity to Ron, didn’t like to feel left out of anything. Typical of the golden boy, wanting to be in the middle of everything. 

“Amortentia, Potty. Chill.”

Everyone seemed curious now. Draco had never understood that... like, clearly you do not need a potion to validate your feelings. The amortentia works the other way around, it changes through time, representing what most attracts you in that specific moment. The blond boy was sure that if he had smelled it years before, it would have still smelled like Potter but maybe in a different kind of way. 

“Can I, little cousin?” The man asked extending his arm to reach the vial on the other side of the table.

“Yes, but be careful. If it drops I would have to brew another and I much rather not to.”

Sirius closed his grey eyes and inhaled. A soft smile appeared on his face before his cheeks colored red.

“I’m going to die smelling the same thing.” He said with a light tone in his voice.

“Doesn’t it change?” Granger asked with genuine curiosity.

“Not for me, it seems.” 

Mr. Potter grabbed the vial from the table where Sirius had put it and took a sniff himself.

“Well... That takes me back.” He said before smiling brightly at the man beside him. He was clearly flirting but his cousin didn’t seem to catch the hint because he arched an eyebrow and responded with boredom.

“Water-Lilies and Quidditch, that’s your predictable father for you, Prongslet.”

Potter frowned deeply.

“What?” The boy asked but was interrupted by Mr. Potter’s laugh.

“I can not believe that with the shit liar that I am, you bought that back then and actually think that it’s true now.”

Sirius looked at him with a confused expression, waiting for an explanation. James fixed his glasses and crossed his arms, sometimes it was like watching Potter (but with more self esteem and less awkwardness in the feelings department). 

“We were broken up.” His cousin open his mouth to complain about something but the man continued talking. “I was still dealing with that and how shitty it all was, okay? And when I asked what yours smelled like you said like the Shrieking Shack and the woods. Of course I lied.” Sirius went Gryffindor red at that. “And you still smell that. That’s great. Awesome.”

“For the last fucking time, James: I DO NOT HAVE FEELINGS FOR REMUS.”

Weasley choked on his tea. Granger widened her eyes in shock, much like Draco did, and Potter was utterly frozen in his place.

“Is that why you don’t want us to get back together, Sirius? At least tell me the truth.”

“You are saying nonsense. I don’t even know why you feel so threaten by him. He is literally dating Tonks and happily so!”

Draco gestured Weasley to get up so they could leave them alone, Hermione saw them and started to move as well... The only one who didn’t move an inch was Harry. 

“Potter, come on.” He said grabbing his arm. “They need time alone.”

The boy freed himself from Draco’s hand and walked towards the table. The blond boy frowned until Harry turned around and showed him the amortentia vial before handing it to him. He blinked.

“Thank you.”

The boy shrugged and followed him outside the kitchen closing the door. At least he pretended to close it because they could still hear Sirius and James inside.

“Are you going to eavesdrop?” Draco hissed. Ron and Hermione were already upstairs, where they should be too. The green-eyed boy put a finger over his mouth, indicating him to shut up.

“I just want the truth, I don’t think that I’m asking too much.”

“I am telling you the truth!” Sirius said in an exasperated tone.

“Okay, let’s try this: have you ever had ‘something’ with Moony?”

There was silence, Potter was spying over the slightly open door. Draco couldn’t see anything, although he tried. His face was leaning over the boy’s shoulder...they were so close right now. The flowers started to tickle him.

“No.” His cousin responded and from the sound of Mr. Potter’s broken laughter, it was the wrong thing to say.

“After all this years, even the ones where I wasn’t here, you still find it in you to lie to my face.”

“James I-“

“It’s quidditch, my old bedroom here and your bloody cigarettes. It always has been.”

“...What?”

“What you heard.” James almost snarled. 

“And how was I supposed to know that? You wouldn’t stop talking about her to everyone!! Even when we were, what was it that you said? Together?” Sirius let out a hollow laugh. “That’s rich, because if I remember correctly, you were the one who didn’t like labels.”

“DO YOU EVEN UNDERSTAND HOW MUCH I LOVE YOU?” Mr. Potter’s voice seemed to get though every wall in the house, the determination in it... Harry’s mouth twitched upwards as he watched them. “It wasn’t like now, Padfoot. There were rumors everywhere! You were living with your abusive mother, I needed for those rumors to stop before they got out of hand and Walburga found out. I liked Lily. Of course I did. I even loved her after schoo-“

“Yes, Prongs, we know the story.”

“Shut the fuck up. You don’t know shit if you think that I’ve chose her over you.”

“It sure seemed like it.”

“I didn’t. You were my first everything, Padfoot. I can not believe that you still don’t understand how I feel about you.” Draco heard James sigh. “Fine. I’ll tell you everything and if you still don’t get it then I give up.” Potter tensed with anticipation beside him. The blond boy was more and more convinced that the shouldn’t be listening to this. “When you started to ask if I liked boys or shit I thought that you knew, okay? I thought that my very badly covered up crush for you was finally getting out and I wasn’t ready.  And we were kids, you can’t hold the words of my fourteen year-old self against me... In fifth year you started to be so close to him, I fucking hated it. I know that it’s not a good thing to say but I considered you mine...” His voice sounded soft, almost shy. “ And suddenly you were all Moony this, Moony that ”

“You sound like a broken record I swear-“

“So I kissed you. My thoughts were: fuck it, either he fancies me or he doesn’t. And you did, you kissed me back and I felt like everything just made sense. But yes, we had to keep it on the down low because it could get to your parents. That’s why I kept asking Lily out, I knew she was going to say no, it was safe and it kept the appearances. Don’t look at me like that. You never asked me, Sirius, I assumed you knew.”

“How was I supposed to? Are you kidding me?” But Mr. Potter seemed to ignore him.

“Eventually it got to your parents. I thought that I was going to die when you showed up at my doorstep in that state...” He heard James take a deep breath. “But we had an amazing summer, you were smiling everyday and everything was perfect. When you asked, it really took me by surprise, Sirius. I wasn’t saying that we weren’t anything. How the fuck could I? You slept beside me every night. But you couldn’t wait, could you? You just had to storm out of the room and fucking ignore me or cut short any attempts of actually talking with me.” Sirius laugh interrupted him.

“It’s great that you have all this magnificent reasons to act like you acted, but they all seem to appear just now, Prongs. Sorry if I don’t believe it.”

Suddenly, Draco felt Potter’s hand slowly trying to interwind their fingers together. The flowers started to dance inside of him. For the first time in weeks he felt like he could breath, at least a little. The boy wasn’t looking at him, but his cheeks were colored red as he held the blond’s boy hand. 

“You were the one who shut me out, Sirius. Don’t try to tell me otherwise because we both know how it was. I literally stopped asking Lily out, there wasn’t even a point to it anymore.”

“You also started to date her that year.”

“THAT WAS BECAUSE YOU SLEPT WITH REMUS.”

Holy fuck, it was true. He kind of thought that Mr. Potter was crazy, just like Potter has been when he suggested that Draco fancied Ron. Potter was mouth open, looking through the slightly open door and squeezing his hand. 

“Ho- How do you- I mean-“ His cousin stuttered.

“I know because you forgot the silencing charms around the bed. It was horrifying by the way,I felt like my worst nightmare came true. So yeah, when Lily suggested to go to Hogsmade together I said yes. Sue me for trying to let you have your happy ever after with Moony.”

The silence invaded the room, until the only thing that Draco could hear was Potter’s nervous noises.

“So there, now you- hmmf-“ 

“YES!” Potter said in a whisper that sounded louder that it should, with a bright big smile on his face. “They are kissing! Fucking finally.” 

“It’s-“ Sirius voice sounded agitated and happy. “It’s the Shrieking Shack after a new moon, when you used to clean my wounds... The woods, like when we escaped to have races just the two of us in fourth year... And it’s the way you smelled after a match, sweat, mud, grass and broom polish.”

And given Potter’s face, he could tell that they were kissing again.

“They are too perfect for each other, it kind of makes me want to barf and hug them at the same time...” Draco said with an amused tone, still very aware that he was holding Potter’s hand. Green eyes turned to look at him, happiness glinting in them.

“I think it’s brilliant.” He said with a marveled voice and Draco couldn’t help but to smile.


	8. Narcissus.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello!! I hope you like this one! We are getting near to all the trouble and I can’t wait to write it ✨ Let me know what you thought of this one in the comments!! They always make my day💕
> 
> Ps. I’ve checked but sorry if you find any errors in this one!

The sound of the pages invaded the library. Fourth book on the stupid plants and still: nothing. 

‘This one is useless too’ 

He closed the book rather harshly and pushed it aside, standing up to grab another one.

The door opened behind him, Harry didn’t even bother to turn around.

“It’s 2 A.M and you look insane.”

“Did I wake you?” Was the only thing he said in return. He knew he looked insane, he was in his pajamas and reading books of herbology in the middle of the night. Of course he looked like a mad man.

“No, i got up to go to the bathroom and heard you. Kind of expected to find Draco here instead of you.”

“I can read too, you know? Besides, I couldn’t sleep.”

Maybe he could, he wouldn’t know, he didn’t even try. He needed answers, some kind of explanation. 

It seemed like such a innocent thing to do at the time... The vial was there, Draco was chatting with Hermione and, to be fair, everyone else had done it. After he took a sniff, Harry regretted it entirely. It was impossible. No stupid potion was going to tell him how he felt. 

“Prongslet, really, you are scaring me.” He was losing his patience but he didn’t want to yell and wake everyone up, so he hissed instead.

“It just doesn’t make any sense.”

“What doesn’t?”

“I still smell the burrow in the amortentia”

“Oh.” Sirius said with a surprised tone in his voice. “Don’t worry about it. It’s just what most attracts us... It doesn’t have to mean anything more than that” 

Harry snorted as he continued to flip the pages. Flower after flower, nothing, it was fucking useless.

“I find it really hard to believe that Ginny is what I find most attractive, considering I got a very awkward boner when Malfoy kissed me on the cheek. The potion is wrong.” He felt the heat invading his face, blushing horribly at the confession.

“I really didn’t need to know that.”

“Tough luck.” Harry responded. 

Flowers from the burrow. There was a time where he thought that it could be Ginny’s shampoo, because when he hugged her it kind of smelled flowery, but it never was quite exactly the same smell...

He couldn’t ask Ron or Mione, they would ask questions. Malfoy was also not an option. Harry raised his eyes to look at Padfoot.

“Draco’s flowers... They are yellow. Do you know what they are?”

Sirius blinked.

“...Yes... I think so.” Harry just kept staring at him. “It’s Narcissus, I know because of the kind of petal. I used to give Cissy a bouquet of them for her birthday.”

“Oh.. I couldn’t find them on the books...”

“You wouldn’t, they are muggle.” Sirius seemed to notice how disappointed he felt. “I can try to draw one... I’m not very good but-“

“Yes, please.”

Padfoot moved around the room, his night robe swinging behind him. Harry followed him as the man sat on the table, in the middle of the library, and took one of the pencils that were laying around with a piece of parchment. The pencil was probably Draco’s. Harry knew that. He spent enough time living with him to guess that kind of thing. 

His hand began to move, tracing the petals with each movement. Harry fixed his glasses and peeked over his godfather’s shoulder.

Holy shit.

He smiled brightly and took the parchment to look at it more closely.

“Yes! Molly has them in the garden. I always thought they were pretty...” He shook his head, trying to snap himself out of the dreamful haze he was in. “I’ve been so fucking stupid.” He turned to look at the man again. “I always thought it was Ginny... But it was him, obviously. It has been him since he started to live here...”

“It’s okay, Harry. Yes, it was rather obvious, but who cares? You know now.”

“You knew? Back then?”

Sirius smiled and shook his head.

“Before, actually.”

“What...?” Harry asked shyly. Before? Before what? Harry and Malfoy hated each other before that summer. 

“Oh come on, Prongslet. You even wrote about him in your letters in fourth year... Sure, about how he was a prick or whatever, but still. It was just a hunch, okay? I wasn’t sure. Then, I saw how you talked to each other and I kind of guessed.”

“Why didn’t you tell me?” Really? Why did people enjoy seeing him take the worsts decisions ever? Just once, it would have been nice for someone to kindly suggest that all his hate for Draco was, actually, repressed attraction. He would have handling the entire year a little better. 

“Your father told me to shut it, and he was right in doing so.... That one time that I suggested it you went all ‘I only like girls, boys are ugly’ on me.” Harry blushed horribly at that. 

It wasn’t easy. He always noticed Malfoy in a physical kind of way... His features, how he walked or the color of his hair and how it reflected the sun when he was playing quidditch. He just thought that everyone noticed that, after all, Draco was very pretty, like Fleur, it was hard not to see it.

He should have noticed how jealous he was of Ron sooner, though. That would have been a good clue. He even used to convince Ginny to play quidditch with him when he knew that Draco was outside with the redhead. Now, if he thought about it, he wanted to see them interact with each other; and well... He probably made an effort of smiling more and shit when the blond boy was around...  
He didn’t smile at him directly, but still.

“Did something happen? You’ve been a little off this past month.”

Harry raised his eyes to look at him. Could he tell him? It’s been killing him to keep it a secret. He couldn’t even talk to Malfoy about it, the embarrassment was too much. 

“We kissed...” He let out in a low voice and taking the seat beside him. Sirius’ expression started to shift into a big smile.

“That’s awesome!!” He said more loudly than it should be allowed at that hour. Harry shushed him, looking at the door. “Sorry. But that’s great, tell me everything. Are you two a thing now?”

Was he bloody kidding? 

“Clearly not, Padfoot.” He crossed his arms and fixed his eyes on the table, avoiding to look at him. He was so pathetic. “I kinda manipulated him to get a kiss, so...” 

“What? How?” He took a deep breath before answering.

“Well... I told him that I wasn’t sure if I liked boys because I haven’t really kiss one. To be fair, I tried to kiss him before that but he froze and looked panicked, I had to come up with some sort of explanation that wasn’t ‘I want to kiss you so bad that I can barely think about anything else.’” He shifted in his seat. “ And... He offered to kiss me so I could try it... So I did.”

When he looked at his godfather, he had a smug smile on his lips. Harry wanted to punch him a little.

“How was it?” He asked with an amused tone. Harry felt his cheeks and ears coloring red.

“It was perfect. Never felt like that in my life, much less with a kiss. I didn’t want to stop at all...” Shit, that was too much information, wasn’t it? “I- I kinda stopped to ask if he liked it and he took it like it was over, so yeah... We didn’t go further or anything.”

Sirius nodded, his eyes were a little absent. He looked like he was having trouble finding the words he wanted to say. 

“Er- I think- Fuck.” His godfather said and shook his head before trying again. “Okay, I think that your father should be the one to give you the details, after all, there is not much parenting that he got to do in the past, so he would really appreciate it if he got to do it...” Harry looked at him confused. “But remember that Draco already had a boyfriend, you need to be careful, protection charms are important and you shouldn’t rush to-“

“Oh my god, Padfoot! Stop talking.” 

He wasn’t getting ‘the talk’ at seventeen. They are a bit late for that, besides, protection charms? It was not like he could get pregnant or something. And it was horrifying, the whole situation was. 

“See? If can’t even talk about it, I don’t think that you are ready.”

“I find it hard to believe that either you or dad had a gay sex talk before you started to... you know.”

“We didn’t, but let me tell you, it would have been much better if we had. I’m going to talk to James so that he can talk to you about this.” Harry groaned.

“What would be the point? It’s not like it’s going to happen again... I don’t expect it to. Even if he isn’t with Nott now, he will be later and I can’t deal with this being temporary. I can’t.” He let his head fall into his hands, defeated. “We just... We keep having this moments, you know? Maybe I hold his hand and he doesn’t take it away or I catch him staring at me or when I don’t wake up in the morning, he comes and tries to get me out of bed pushing me, but in a friendly kind of way? Sometimes I pretend to be asleep just so he does that. It’s pathetic, I know.” Sirius Chuckled.

“It’s not. You are just in love.” 

“I don’t know why you are smiling like an idiot. I’m having an awful time here. He looks worst than ever and I wish he wouldn’t choose him, but not choosing him makes him even sicker.” He let out a sigh and passed his hand over his face. “I’m an awful person, aren’t I?”

Sirius’ amused smile morph into a sad one. Great, like he needed to be pitied.

“I believe that I already told you that you aren’t a bad person. Stop feeling guilty. We can’t choose who we love, alright?”

Harry just nodded. Of course he knew that, he wouldn’t have chosen to fall in love with someone that didn’t love him back, for instance.

——————

“Death eaters names: go”

“Lucius Malfoy” 

“You are so bloody funny, weasel. But no. The horcrux that my father had was used and destroyed in second year.”

“You don’t think that he could have more?”

“No, he would had made everyone kiss his arse if the Dark Lord trusted him that much.”

Harry heard the conversation from upstairs as soon as he got out of his room. He hated that Ron and Malfoy always talked about stuff when neither Him or Hermione were around.  
Already pissed off, he knocked on the girl’s door.

“Yes?”

“Mione, get downstairs, they are discussing things without us again.” The door suddenly opened.

“Why? We literally had a meeting this morning.” She said with an exasperated tone as he started to walk towards the stairs. Harry followed.

When they saw them, Draco wasn’t at all surprised.

“Say the word horcrux more than three times and Potter manifests himself.”

Harry just rolled his eyes and sat on the couch next to them with Hermione.

“The ferret thinks that if his father had one horcrux, maybe some of the death eaters may have another.”

“That actually makes sense” Mione said.

“Yes, but it has to be someone very trust worthy... Regulus didn’t have one, he stole it because The Dark Lord took Kreacher to hide it.”

“Snape?” He suggested, fearing the reaction of the blond boy.

“Thought of that already, but Dumbledore would have never trusted him without legilimency and I don’t think he could have hide that from his mind... No one is that good at occlumency.”

“Well... Your aunt could have one...” Ron said. “She is trust worthy. At her trials, back then, my dad told me that she didn’t even tried to defend herself and she just laughed like a lunatic when they read how many muggleborns she had killed.”

Harry sometimes asked himself if Ron was mean on purpose. Draco lost the little colour of his face with each word. 

The blond boy muttered something incomprehensible and stood up with an absent look on his face. Next thing he saw was Malfoy walking quickly to the kitchen. He turned to glare at Ron.

“You just had to drop that in the middle of the conversation, didn’t you? Don’t you know by now that it upsets him?” The redhead just stared back, frowning. 

They weren’t getting along lately. Harry didn’t know what the hell was his problem but every time that he brought up Draco in a conversation, his best friend almost snarled at him in response. If he didn’t know that Ron was utterly in love with Mione, he would have doubted the redhead’s intentions with Malfoy.

“Oh that’s rich coming from you”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” His friend seemed to be tempted to answer but Hermione cut him short.

“Ronald.” The boy sighed dramatically and put his hands up.

“Whatever, I’m going.” 

And as he was standing up, Harry copied him and started to go look for the blond. Somehow that made Ron even more annoyed with everything.

When they entered the kitchen, Sirius and Draco seemed like they had utterly lost it while his dad was sitting there, trying to follow the conversation.

“Of course it’s there.”

“Yes, because everything had been sacked after the first war.”

“Except Gringotts”

“Because the goblins don’t give a fuck while you pay”

“And Bella never had any heirs”

“And the Lestrange vault is a joke”

“But it’s extremely high security I can’t-“

“But you are the rightful owner of Grimmauld Place. That has to mean-“

“That I can get in.”

“Unless it’s under her name, because she is the oldest of the three sisters.”

“CAN SOMEONE TRANSLATE PLEASE”

Ron voice interrupted their crazy talk and both, Sirius and Draco turned to look at them.

“Whatever the horcrux is, if she has one (which totally makes sense, thanks weasel for being a genius)” Harry tried not to pull a face at his friend being praise. He wasn’t jealous and petty, he wasn’t  “It’s definitely in her Gringotts vault, that would actually be the Black’s high security vault. Maybe Sirius can get in, but he was disowned so there is a possibility that the vault is now under her name.”

“That would be a problem because you would need her to get in, no other person can.”

“Holy shit... if we get it, that would mean...”

“Two down, and two on our hands, yes.” 

It was in moments like this, where Harry found himself wishing that he had taken the other boy’s hand, back in first year.

The blond boy was never more himself than when they trained or had meetings. He cared, he cared so much that his brilliant brain always worked twice as fast as everyone else’s. Harry showed him the locket: Malfoy knew that it was Regulus’. Ron suggested Bellatrix: Draco was already plotting getting inside of the vault. Hermione always used this moments to send a knowing look towards him, one that said  ‘I told you so’. 

Harry didn’t need a reminder that Draco was perfect. He didn’t need to see him training and jumping in front of Ron to prevent the redhead from getting jinxed, because, now, they were jinxes, but out there? Out there it was killing curses instead. And Malfoy would do it if he had to, he knew that, he saw it in first row with Sirius last year. A shiver run down his spine at the memory.

But even if the blond boy was reckless... Harry couldn’t help but imagine what it could have been. Maybe the four of them would have become friends before and solve mysteries much more efficiently through the years, maybe without so many painful moments... Or so many wrong conclusions. It would have been nice...

“If the Saviour would be kind enough to voice his opinion on the matter? Considering that it’s actually your mission.” His voice brought him back, snapping him out of his thoughts.

“I’m sorry, I kind of zoned out...” He replied with a shy voice. It was Ron the one who rolled his eyes in annoyance, this time.

“I can get Bill to talk to one of the goblins that are more friendly towards our side, see if the vault is under Bellatrix’s name or not.”

Harry said that it seemed like the safest option, the floo was sealed in the mansion for security and if they walked into Diagon Alley they would get caught in minutes. He was in the middle of the sentence when Hermione spoke.

“What if it is? Under her name...?”

Draco pulled a face.

“Well... we would be screwed, because we would need her wand to get in.”

“Shit.” The words escaped Harry’s mouth.

“Indeed, Potter.”

—————————

Sometimes, he thought that he had spent all his Gryffindor courage when he kissed Malfoy that night. 

It shouldn’t be so bloody hard. 

‘Just enter, see if he is awake. If he is, you ask him. As friends, obviously. You slept on the same bed before. Why would it be any different now? 

There is no nightmares this time.

He couldn’t do this. No. Definitely not. Malfoy would know. And it would be creepy. Or desperate. Or both.

He started to turn around and, Harry being the useless clumsy mess that he was, tripped and fell. The sound echoed around the silent house. Everyone was asleep, he was the only one with the messed up sleeping habits.

“Potter...?” 

Shit.

When Harry turned his head and looked up, he found Malfoy leaning against the doorframe, wearing his silky silver pajamas, messy bed hair, and he was rubbing his eyes. He was sleeping before, then.

The heat in his face was increasing.  
He looked so pretty... He felt his fingers burn and ache from the urge to run his fingers through the platinum blond hair. 

“Sorry.” He said, getting up. “I didn’t know if you were sleeping. You were, clearly.” An awkward chuckled escaped his mouth. “I- I’ll go now. Sleep well. Sorry for waking you.” 

He started to walk towards his door, feeling like an idiot. So fucking stupid.

“Is it the nightmares? I didn’t hear you...” His voice sounded so smooth and soft. Harry wanted to cry. How was he so fucking attractive 

Harry just shook his head and tried to smile to calm the boy.

“No no, It was stupid. Really. I just couldn’t sleep. It’s okay-“

“Fine.” Draco interrupted him and closed the door of his room carefully, trying not to wake Ron. Harry blinked and followed the boy with his eyes as he walked pass him and entered his room. “Stop staring.”

“Sorry.”

He moved smoothly across the room and directly into the bed, lifting the covers to get in. Everything seemed to happen so fast, faster than Harry’s brain was responding at the moment.

“Are you going to just stand there?”

He swallowed, trying to get rid of the knot that was forming in the back of his throat. 

‘ He is here, you didn’t even ask for this and he is here. Breathe, Harry. Friends, you are just friends.’

He walked slowly to the bed, fighting the blush that was appearing on his cheeks (again). It seemed like the only thing he did now was trying not to blush at every little thing that Malfoy did.

When he got inside of the bed, he turned to see the boy, carefully avoiding any kind of contact. He didn’t trust himself being any closer... His mind got clouded when Draco was too close.

“You are being distant with me...” His voice sounded like a whisper. So strangled that Harry felt his heart constrict as he heard it. “Ever since...you know.”

Draco was scared of naming it, he realized. Maybe he thought that he was having a gay panic or something. It couldn’t be any more far from the truth, though.

“I know.” He replied, because he didn’t know what else to say about it. But as he saw the other boy’s stormy grey eyes looking at him, more words started to escape from his mouth. “It’s not because of the kiss, okay?”

“Why, then? Because, right now, you are almost falling off the bed just so you can avoid touching me.” And with the last part of the sentence, Malfoy coughed out a few yellow petals before muttering a curse.

And for the first time, Harry found himself really inhaling Draco’s smell. The flowery scent was undeniable, it seemed to emanate from the boy’s pores, and the petals only accentuated it... 

Harry closed his eyes as he felt his breathing become more agitated and his heart pound wildly against his chest. Fuck, this boy was trying to kill him.

“It’s because of that.” He said in a shy voice, with his eyes still close, avoiding Malfoy’s gaze. If he saw him, he would never get the courage to say it. “You look sick, really sick lately. I don’t want to make it worst...” He took a deep breath. Fucking say it. He thinks you are an homophobic arsehole. Explain it to him. “I can’t stop thinking about it... I don’t trust myself not to act on it.”

Silence stretched between them, the only thing that Harry could hear was Draco’s breathing. 

You screwed up, now everything is awkward.

He hated himself sometimes.

Suddenly, he felt warm lips on his cheek. Harry opened his eyes in surprise and stared at the blond boy.

“Physical contact helps, you know? It’s not going to kill me.” He said with a kind voice, the corner of his lips forming a little smile. His heart was pounding like crazy, he felt that it was going to jump right off his chest any minute now... Then, Draco spoke again. “But even if it does, Potter... It’s a risk I’ll be happy to take.”

He was Gryffindor red by now, Harry just knew it. Trying to compose himself, he let out a snort.

“You are suicidal, I swear.”

The boy shrugged and mumbled a ‘maybe’, before offering his beautiful smirk. The same one that he used to wear on his face each time they bantered at school. 

“But don’t you want it?”

Smug bloody bastard. He could just punch him in the face. 

Here he was, trying to be a good person, putting Malfoy’s well-being before his feelings, even though it made him want to lock himself in the bathroom and cry of frustration, and this prick was suggesting to throw everything out the window. Like it was nothing.

Harry only had a limited amount of self control, okay? And the boy was offering it...

“Malfoy, you don’t know what you are saying.” His voice came out strangled. 

The blond boy just arched an eyebrow and leaned to plant a kiss on Harry’s lips. He was faster, though. He turn his head and the boy’s lips ended up on his cheek again.

What was weird, was that Draco didn’t say anything, didn’t even complain... His lips just kept in place, kissing him, until he felt the boy’s lips starting to leave tiny kisses on his cheek.

“Wha- What are you doing...?” 

He closed his hand around the sheet, his knuckles turning white.

Draco didn’t bother to answer, he just moved to start tracing his jaw with soft kisses. A moan escaped from Harry’s mouth.

“Oh? You like it? I didn’t notice.” The blond boy whispered with a fake naive tone, before brushing his beautiful lips against his ear. 

He thought that he was going to die just from feeling.

“Draco.” He said, trying to caught his attention, but it came out as a whimper, a plea. The blond boy took it a his cue to lick tentatively his ear before closing his lips around his earlobe. 

Fuck it, maybe Harry was an awful person, but he needed Malfoy right there and then. The desire that run through his veins was too much. And the smell. Those fucking Narcissus were intoxicating him. 

He grabbed the boy by the collar of his shirt and pulled him to be fully on top of him.

The bastard had a smile on his face.

“Convinced you, didn’t I?”

“If you die for this, I will never forgive you.” He hissed before putting a hand on the back of Draco’s neck and smashing their mouths together. Fucking perfect, so bloody delicious. 

The kiss was better this time around, Harry wasn’t holding back, and from the look of it, neither was Draco. Tasting the other boy’s mouth, he felt that he was in heaven. 

He needed him closer. Much more closer than this... Harry grabbed Malfoy’s hips digging his fingers in them, trying to guide him to lay all his weight on him. A soft moan escaped from Draco’s mouth before doing so. 

Everything was so fucking perfect that he could have cried.

Later that night, Harry found himself with his lips sore from kissing the boy so much, resting his head on Draco’s chest, smiling like a bloody idiot. The blond boy was softly tracing doodles with his fingers over his back. 

They just kissed. Harry being the insecure virgen that he was, couldn’t go any further. Well... Maybe he could... But he didn’t want to be compared to Nott or be so lousy in bed that Draco wouldn’t even kiss him again in his life. Right now, this was safe. They had snogged a lot and smiled at each other... Yes, it was perfect. The blond boy certainly seemed to like it and that was more than enough for him.

It’s not like if Draco had asked to sleep with him or anything either way... Harry wasn’t going to ask for it... The blond boy was in love with someone else and still wanted to snog him? Perfect for him. He didn’t feel jealous or anything, about how Draco just slept with Nott after the first time that they kissed.

Nope, not at all jealous.

“I can hear you thinking.”

Harry raised his head from the boy’s chest and kissed him softly on the lips.

“I was just thinking about this afternoon.” He lied with ease. “You are amazing, you know that?” A smirk appeared on Draco’s face.

“I am rather extraordinary, yes.”

“And humble of course.”

“Potter, if I’m right, I’m going to be the only one of us who got two horcruxes. There is no place for humbleness.”

Harry chuckled softly.

“That’s true.” He replied before planting another kiss right on his mouth.


	9. The fight.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello!! I hope you like this one! Please let me know what you thought in the comments ✨ Last night you made me really happy when I read all the one you left with the theories and everything!
> 
> Ps. I’ve checked but sorry if you find any errors in this one!

Draco knew that it sounded too easy to be true. Bellatix wouldn’t have been as reckless as to leave the vault reachable for every Black member of the family (at least not after the Dark Lord’s return) even if it wasn’t about the horcrux... there was too much money there and even though no one talked about it, you need money to sustain a war. So when Ron told them what the Patronus of Bill said, the blond boy wasn’t even surprise about it.

“So what now?” Potter sighed and looked at his best friend.

“We keep looking for the other ones and leave this for now.”

The rest of them couldn’t help to be worried about Harry’s and Ron’s friendship... The months passed by and they seemed to be worst than ever. Hermione told him that in fourth year they didn’t even talked to each other so, in comparison, this was better. Draco wasn’t so sure.

“Easy for you to say, you have your family with you.” Ron snarled in response.

Oh, Fuck. They were going to have that fight. Okay.

It was October, now. They had to wait for another month before sending the message to Bill, because the order was being chase left and right. Patronuses couldn’t be tracked but if Ron’s brother got in contact with the bank so soon, they could get caught... Draco kindly advised the weasel to restrain himself from getting in contact with Bill until everything settled down a little bit more. Weasley was already pissed off abut that, imagine hearing Potter saying that they needed to just keep searching for the rest.

“I didn’t ask for them to be involved. We were going to run away, remember? We all agreed that living in a house was much more comfortable.”

“Still. We don’t know shit, you got the horcrux since the beginning of the summer and for all we know we have to go to the school to destroy it.”

“Not if we find the sword.” Hermione stated with a calm voice. 

It was just the four of them right now, Sirius and Mr. Potter weren’t even up yet... But if they kept screaming they sure would be. 

“A sword that no one knows where it is or how to get it, Mione. And our only help is a children book, a snitch and the deluminator.” The redhead was getting incredibly mad and Draco just waited for it to all explote and go to shit. “I’m just saying, I thought we would have done more by now or that Harry would, at least, know things.”

“And what did you expect huh? To leave, destroy all the horcruxes, and be done by christmas to have dinner with your mum?”

“Harry!” Hermione scolded him. 

For the love of Salazar, Potter was so dense sometimes. Ron spent all his days listening to Potterwatch because he was suffering. Of course he was. Draco tried to make him smile and everything but something about the boy was too somber to lighten it up with jokes. It didn’t help that Potter and him had developed this new kind of relationship.

Ron, for a while, tried to act like he didn’t care or like he wasn’t noticing the little smiles that Potter sent his way, but Draco knew better. He even confronted him about it a few weeks ago, the conversation went like this:

“Spit it out, weasel. I can’t handle your constant frowning any longer.” 

“You are not cured.” He stated.

“No.” 

“I’ll stop being mad when you are cured. I want to think that he is not using you, but it gets harder when he whispers something to your ear, you blush like a schoolgirl and then cough a petals on the table.”

“I didn’t think you saw that.”

“You two are not subtle at all.” Ron replied and that was the end of it. 

Draco started to realize that Weasley had this misconception that, just because he was in love with Potter, he thought that everything that the boy did was perfect and a brilliant idea... Which couldn’t be any more far away from the truth, considering that Draco was the first one in calling Harry on his bullshit. 

“What if I did? It’s easy for you: you have your dad and Padfoot right here, you have us, the three of us left our families behind just for you and we didn’t even got a thank you.”

To be fair, Draco made his choice in a totally different context, he wasn’t sure it counted.

“I never asked you to do that! And you are the only one whining about this!”

“I’m not! Hermione thinks so too. Tell him, tell him what you told me.”

This was ridiculous, the poor girl was on the verge of crying, and  she obliviated her own parents in order to have them safe, even if she agreed, there wasn’t anything she could do right now to return to them... unless she moved to Australia, which sounded even more ridiculous than this whole conversation.

“I may have said that I was disappointed about how little we knew, but that isn’t Harry’s fault, Ron.”

“Oh, that’s perfect, take his side. Why wouldn’t you? He is your perfect and good friend Harry.”

“Weasel, you need to calm down.”

“You don’t even get to have a say in this, ferret.”

Draco bit his own tongue, holding the few curses that were waiting to get out.  He needs to say everything, let him.

“Don’t you talk to him like that.” Potter scolded him.

“You are not the boss of me, I can do what I want.” 

“And what do you want? To leave? By all means, go. Go and be with your family.”

“Potter, shut up. He doesn’t mean that, weasel.”

“Of course I do. I don’t want him here if he doesn’t want to be.”

Weasley stared at Harry with pained eyes before muttering a ‘Fine’ and leaving the room, marching upstairs. Draco started to follow him but someone grabbed his arm, he turned around and it was Harry.

“Don’t. He is an arsehole, leave him alone.” The blond boy freed himself and glared at him.

“You don’t get it, do you? You think that he doesn’t miss his siblings or that Hermione doesn’t miss her parents?” He hissed and the sound startled the boy, his eyes widening. “You think that, back in fifth year, if it were my mother there instead of my father that I would’ve taken the same choice as I did? Well, newsflash, Potter: not everyone is perfect or so selfless that we can face this without having doubts. That’s what friends are for. They call you out on your stupidity and they don’t judge you for getting lost for a little while. He is your best friend you should know better.” Harry was looking at him, speechless. “Now, if you excuse me, I have to go talk to him, and try to fix the mess that you made.”

He didn’t even turn back when he heard Potter calling for him.

In their bedroom, Ron was packing all his clothes, frantic, angry expression on his face and his eyes shined when the light hit them in the right angle... Tears. His friend was crying.

Draco shut the door slowly and turned to look at him again.

“You don’t want to leave, weasel. Stop being a bullheaded idiot.”

But the boy didn’t even acknowledge his words, he just kept on putting clothes inside of his bag. Every now and then, a sob escaped from his mouth.

Draco walked to where he was and wrapped his arms around the boy. His shirt started to get wet from his friend’s tears. At some point, Ron gave in and hugged him back.

“I just miss them so much.” His voice sounded broken, the sobs invading every word.

“I know. I miss my mother too. I just had a whole year to get use to it, okay? You are not weak or something for caring and missing them.”

He felt Weasley nodding against his neck. They kept hugging, he didn’t tried to pull away because he knew that Ron needed the physical contact. Draco’s mother always used to say that when words weren’t enough, hugs usually were. The boy tightened his arms around the redhead, trying to sooth him.

“I need a break, ferret. I can’t keep being locked up in here doing nothing and just hoping that I don’t hear their names on the radio...”

Yes... Draco knew that. It wasn’t a bad idea, actually... if they were careful.  
—————————

He was folding another shirt when they heard a soft knock on the door.  
Both, him and the weasel indicated to whoever it was to come in. Soon enough, Potter opened the door with a shy look on his face.

“Can we talk-“ The boy started to say to the redhead when he saw that Draco was packing too. “What are you doing?” He asked with a strangled voice. 

The blond boy had almost forgot what it felt to have the daffodils cutting him open. Lately, one kiss from Potter and everything settled inside of him, even if he coughed petals, it wasn’t in a painful kind of way, they just escaped from his mouth.

Now, he was reminded that he was still sick, that upsetting the boy was a wrong move and the flowers were fucking mad at him. FIX THIS. FIX THIS NOW.But Draco wasn’t going to chance his mind. Ron needed him, and after everything that the redhead did for him, it was the least he could do. 

The blond boy swallowed the petals in his mouth before talking.

“We are going to stay for a week or so at Bill’s and Fleur’s cottage. Ron needs a break and I don’t want him to go alone, so...”

“So you are leaving too? This is bullshit.” Harry snarled and Draco was aware that his rage was more directed towards Weasley than to him but he coughed all the same. The redhead stared at him with worried eyes.

“Malfoy... you don’t have-“

“You offered me a trip, weasel, you can’t take it back.”

Potter stormed out of the room after that.  
—————————

When he got downstairs, after packing, Mr Potter was having tea in the kitchen. He barely raised his eyes as Draco entered the room. It was only the two of them, something was telling him that it wasn’t a coincidence.

“I heard that you are leaving in the morning.” The man stated casually.

“It’s just for a week... ten days tops.”

“You don’t have to explain things to me, kid. But can I give you a little advise?” 

How was Mr. Potter so kind? He was always marveled with the tone in his voice, and how patient he was... Maybe that was why Sirius and him got along so well. The blond boy offered a nod, indicating him to go on.

“Harry may act like he can handle anything but he is, actually, very insecure about this things.” Draco opened his mouth to reply but Mr Potter just continued talking. “He is too much like Padfoot. You fought this morning and now you are leaving? In his mind it’s his fault entirely.”

“But i never said that, I just said that he shouldn’t tell Ron to leave just because he miss his family. Going to the cottage was my idea, it’s just to cheer up Weasley for a bit.” James smiled softly.

“I know, I’m just saying that maybe my son needs to hear that... He thinks that you hate him now.” The flowers started to scratch him, hurting him. “We all know that you don’t, Sirius is in his room trying to make him understand, but his brain is just not listening right now. Maybe if you talk to him...” 

Draco nodded, trying to process the information. He said something to Mr. Potter, mumbled a response and turned around to go look for the boy. He almost missed the man’s little smile when the blond boy left the room.

He climbed the stairs slowly, he could hear the conversation between Ron and Hermione from their room. Potter’s room was silent, on the other hand.

Draco swallowed the petals in his mouth again, hoping that he could get through more than five words without ending up having a coughing fit. He didn’t even bother to knock, fearing that, if he asked for permission, the green-eyed boy would tell him to fuck off.

When he opened the door, he found Harry curled up on the bed with his eyes closed and his cousin gently rubbing his back. Sirius noticed his presence and gestures with his head to get near.

“He is asleep.” The man whispered. “You stay, I have to prepare dinner.”

Draco nodded and replaced Sirius’ hand on the back of the boy. By now, everyone in the bloody house knew that there was something between them...Harry was the least subtle person in the world when it came to that.

He heard his cousin closing the door and he continued to gently caressed the boy.

It was so obvious that Hermione asked why wasn’t he cured already. The blond boy sometimes thought that he spoke in another language.

“Didn’t you read the books, Granger? He has to love me  and say it. He has to acknowledge his feelings to me.” He huffed. “And this is physical, okay? I’m not getting my hopes up or anything.”

“Physical my arse, Draco.”

“Well, he says it is. He keeps repeating that it doesn’t mean anything, that we are not exclusive.” A snort escaped his lips as well as some petals. “I don’t see how we can be with other people right now, but whatever.” Hermione was tugging her own hair just from listening to him.

“You two are the most ridiculous beings on the planet.”

“Hey, at least we kiss and stuff. What are you doing with the weasel, huh? Oh, that’s right: nothing.”

“Ronald and I are an entirely different story, we don’t have a deadline,for instance.” The girl stated with an annoyed tone in her voice.

“This war is your deadline, Granger. Kiss him before we all die.” She didn’t answer but Draco knew that his words got to her.

So, yeah. Draco didn’t even hide the fact that he was locked up with Harry in his room now, nor did he need to pretend with Sirius and say that he would come back later , when Potter was actually awake.

He was tired, a nap wouldn’t be a bad thing either... Draco slowly got off the bed, just so he could lay beside the boy properly. He snuggled closer and spooning Harry with his body, breathing in the smell of his hair that brushed the blond boy’s nose.

The daffodils seemed to calm themselves after that, Draco could almost cry from relief as he inhaled the sweet smell and drifted of to sleep, tightening his arms around Potter’s waist.  
——————-

Draco didn’t know how long did he sleep, he was woken up to the feeling of Harry tracing his arm with his fingers softly. The blond boy smiled lazily.

“That feels nice.” He said, his voice still weird from being asleep. He felt Potter tense as he heard his voice.

“I thought you were sleeping...” His shy voice made the flowers move inside of him, trying to state their dislike with the situation.

James’ words were echoing in his head. He couldn’t let the boy think that, he couldn’t, so he planted a chaste kiss on the back of his neck and snuggled a little closer (if that was even possible).

“I was, but now I’m not. Can we talk?”

Harry just turned around slowly, resting his forehead on his and sighed as he intertwined their fingers together.

“I was an arse, I apologized to Ron already, please don’t leave.”

Draco looked at his green eyes, trying to get him to understand the words he was about to pronounce.

“I’m not leaving as a punishment, Potter.” But the dark-haired boy only groaned in response.

“Why does it feel like you are, then?”

“I’m not. It’s only a few days, okay? We are coming back, I promise you.” 

Harry just stared at him, his green orbes moving frantically, searching the truth in Draco’s grey ones. 

And, suddenly, he was being pulled by the boy, guiding him to connect their mouths together as a tiny whimper escaped from his lips. 

The daffodils felt all drugged up again. Draco was in heaven.

The urge of the kiss took him by surprise, Harry was sweeter normally, softer. He always kissed him like they had all the time in the world, but passionately, erasing with every kiss every bad thought that the blond boy may have. This was different, though.

Everything was fast and raw and filled with need. It reminded him of the kind of kiss that Theo gave him... Not exactly the same, but it was similar. Draco must of got lost in his own thoughts because Harry stopped for a minute and frowned.

“What is it?” He said, a little out of breath.

“You are kissing different.”

The boy blushed and separated himself from Draco, hiding his face in the pillow. 

“You didn’t like it...” Draco barked out a laugh, before running his fingers over the boy’s messy hair.

“You are too cute, you know that?” Somehow that only made things worst because the boy groaned and lifted his head from the pillow, almost pouting as he looked at Draco. “What?”

“I don’t want to be cute. That’s all I am to you.”

“Okay, Potty. I’m not understanding what the hell are you talking about right now. It’s not because of the cottage, isn’t it? What’s this about?”

The boy started to play with the sheets, avoiding his gaze.

“No, if you say that it’s not because of me then go... Just... Be careful? I don’t know what would I do if you don’t come back.” Draco nodded, waiting for the answer to the second question. “We just kiss... all the time. Doesn’t that bother you?” His voice sounded so small, so not like Potter...

“No, I like kissing you.” He replied, like it was the most obvious thing ever. The boy sighed.

“I know.” The annoyance in his tone was palpable. “But you never... you know... push it further.” He clarified turning crimson red. Draco bit his lip, enjoying the view.

“It’s that what that kiss was? You wanting to push things further?” Harry groaned again.

“See? You even find it hilarious: me, trying to be sexy or whatever.”

He fought a lot with himself not to burst into laughter right there, the poor boy was confessing something to him and Draco should take him seriously. He lifted Potter’s chin and kissed softly on the lips.

“You don’t have to rush it, it’s going to happen when it happens, if you want it, and when we are both ready. And, certainly, it’s not happening as an insurance to have me coming back from this trip.” The green-eyed boy looked away, embarrassed. 

“Sorry...”

“It’s okay, Scarhead. You were just trying to seduce me with your awkward charming self.” Draco smiled at the boy. “I just see right through it... Doesn’t mean I don’t like it, though.”

And Harry smiled for the first time in the entire day, beaming at Draco before kissing him again. This time, the kiss was slow and patient... as if the boy was trying to memorize every inch of the blond boy’s mouth. 

The daffodils twirled in delight.


	10. Somebody to love.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi!! Sorry I didn’t reply to the comments, I spent every free moment I had finishing this chapter! I’ll update as soon as I can the next one. Please let me know what you thought of it!! I loved writing this.💕
> 
> Ps: I’ve checked but sorry if you find any errors in this one✨

The salty wind caressed his face. The sound of the waves smashing, mixing with the sound of the birds flying above them... His toes burying in the sand, a feeling that seemed like the most relaxing and satisfying thing in the world. The warm on the sun touching his face, even though the chilly temperature felt much worse right by the sea. The smell of the sea. The smell of the daffodils mixing with the beach.

Draco listed all those things, trying to remember them, trying to hold on to the feeling of calm that he was experiencing...

Trying to ignore the fact that the daffodils were practically eating him from inside out, begging him to go back to the boy sooner. Draco was not going to listen to them, though. They could tried to make him throw up flowers for all he cared.

The blond boy had never been to the beach, not once. He always wished to, his parents had more than enough money to afford traveling to every bloody beach on the planet if they wanted to. They didn’t. His father hated how messy it was and his mother tended to avoid any kind of out doors activity, saying that the sun caused early wrinkles and no Black nor Malfoy should have them. 

Sirius had them. Draco thought that it suited him. Not the worry lines, he guessed that he won that ones on Azkaban after everything went to shit... But the little ones on the corner of his eyes, the ones that made themselves more obvious when he smiled, those wrinkles suited him rather nicely.

If Draco ever got the chance to grow old, he would like for his white skin to be sightly touch by the sun, like Ron’s was, and for his face to wear all the wrinkles that came from laughing and smiling truthfully and brightly, just like the ones that Sirius had.

If Draco got any more time in this life, he would go to every beach and let the waves brush his feet gently, getting to know the temperature of the water in different places, and memorizing the color of it. He would swim and gladly drown in the ancient and pure kind of magic that flowed through the ocean... Knowing that nature’s ancient magic touched both wizards and muggles equally and there was nothing that pureblood’s elitist and murderous Dark Lords could do about it.

“Can I ask you something?” Weasley’s voice brought him back. Draco kept his eyes closed, but nodded gently. “What does it feel like...? The flowers, we never talk about it.”

“Any particular reason why you are asking, weasel?” Draco knew there was, he just wanted a confirmation.

“You look sick... but happy, I don’t get it.”

For a moment, the only thing that filled the silence was the sound of waves smashing.

“I’m happy to be here, you know that.” He stated. “It’s hard to explain, it feels like a lot of things.”

“Try.” The redhead replied and Draco took a deep breath. The air seemed to brush every flower inside of him and not in a good way, his chest contorted and the blond boy almost cried out in pain.

“The easier way to explain would be clarifying that I kind of think of them as these little people that love him too much.” When he turn to look at Ron and saw the look on his face, he explained further. “I know it’s really me, okay? I’m not crazy. It’s just that most of me doesn’t have hope... I’ve loved him for so long that I grew used to not expecting anything in return.” His blue eyes softened because of the pity and Draco suddenly got the urge to barf. “There is this little part of me, the one that always craved for his attention, that never stopped trying... That part of me, now, turned into these fucking flowers.” 

“Then why does it hurt? If it’s you...”

“Bunch of reasons, sometimes they just want to punish me for not kissing Potter’s arse every moment of every day. I rather be dead than doing that, he gets enough worshipping as it is.”

“So that’s what is happening now, isn’t it? They are hurting you because Harry didn’t want you to come and you came anyway... they are trying for you to go back.”

“Yes, but I like the beach and the cottage, weasel... So, they can fuck right off.” As soon as he said it, a cough escaped his mouth, yellow petals jumping off, like the flowers were complaining. “See? They are a nuisance.”

“Just like you, ferret.”

Draco barked out a laugh, kicking Ron playfully. He was so happy right now, the burning in his lungs be damn. 

With barely three days with his brother, Weasley was looking much better... He was smiling and making jokes, he wasn’t as angry as he was at the mansion.

A few more days and between the magic of the sea and a few hugs from Bill, the redhead could be purified from everything... He would still miss everyone, that wasn’t going to just disappear, but it would be more bearable.  
——————-

Dear Theo:

When this is all over, you should go to the beach. You would cry from the feeling of the magic itself.

Remember when we wanted to grow up to study all the Old ways? To leave and live from the magic of the woods, because it was the only one we knew? Well... This feels a million times better.  
It’s like being greeted by Mother Nature herself, feeling the waves touching your feet. 

Weasley thinks I’m batshit crazy, he says that he feels good but not all the other stuff I say. It’s ridiculous, I can see the sea curing him, literally.

Bill’s and Fleur’s cottage is beautiful. I could just stay here and drink tea at sunrise, listening to the breaking waves, until next June, I swear.

I’m not going to, though. We need to win this and we are not as hopeless as I thought we’d be...

You know what that means, don’t you? You need to play nice and be on our side. Hopefully, my wishes somehow can get to you, even if this letter remains with me. Maybe you don’t even need me to say it, and you are already being you marvelously cunning self and fighting this war from the inside. I like to think that my many talks about you throwing your future away weren’t in vain.

The shells glued to the envelope are from the beach, don’t you think they are pretty? I also made charms with some of them, one to give to Weasley and another one for me... I think we could both use a little bit of the magic from this place when we get back. I thought about making four more for Potter, Granger, Sirius and Mr. Potter... But I think that Ron needs to feel special for a while.

If the odds are in our favor, maybe we will see each other soon. 

Please be safe, 

Draco.

————————  
————————

“Prongslet, you need to get up”

The light that came through the window was blinding him, Harry put his pillow over his head and curled up more inside the sheets of the bed.

“Harry, really.” The scolding tone in his father’s voice has become this normal thing these past few weeks.

Ten days tops, my arse

Harry knew this would happen. He was so fucking aware that Draco was going to aparate away and remember that being locked up was awful and that he could use this time to live a happy life, not this borderline military camp that they were living at the mansion.

He was lashing out on everyone. Last night, when Hermione came to talk to him, he kind of yelled at her and told her to fuck off.

“It’s okay to miss him, you know?” She said, leaning on the doorframe. Harry just held her gaze, bored expression on his face. “I miss Ron too, I think that being away from him has made me come to term with quite a few things... Did that happen to you as well?”

Come to terms with what? With how desperately in love he was? He could do that with Draco in the same fucking room, thank you very much. He crossed his arms and looked at the window, expecting for her to leave if he didn’t reply. He was wrong.

“You should tell him... When he comes back.”

Harry froze, all the fibers in his body just suddenly were too aware of what his friend had jus suggested. Draco could not know, if he knew that the green-eyed boy felt more than just friendship for him, then maybe he would stop whatever it was that they had... He had put a lot of effort in clarifying to the blond boy that he had options, that Harry wasn’t going to get mad or anything... He never doubted that this was because Malfoy lacked Nott right now.

Maybe there was this tiny part of him (almost inexistent, really) that hoped that Draco would fell in love with him between kisses and late night talks... This part of him kind of wished that Malfoy would love him instead of Nott, that he would like his kisses better... or that he would like sleeping with him more, in comparison (if the blond boy ever dared to do something slightly like that with him)... The wildest wish he had was hoping that the blond boy would see him, and think that he was the most attractive person on the planet, just like Harry felt when he looked at the blond. More handsome than bloody Nott, at least. That wasn’t going to happen, though. Harry was this skinny awkward boy... Yes, thanks to quidditch and an entire year of good nutrition for the first time in his life, he looked better, healthier... But he had seen Nott, and much to his dislike, the brunette was much more easy on the eyes than he would ever be.

“I don’t know what you are talking about.” He replied stubbornly.

“That you love him, Harry. It’s obvious.” Make her shut the fuck up

“What the hell makes you say that, huh? I don’t. It doesn’t mean anything, what we do, I’m just bored and he is bored too. Don’t project whatever it is that you feel for Ron and your unsuccessful relationship on what we do. Because it’s not a relationship even. And I don’t want it to be. Why don’t you mind your own business, Hermione? Just for once.”

“Fine, be that way. Maybe if you weren’t as much of a bullheaded arsehole they both would be here right now.” She hissed at him, finally saying out loud what Harry already knew since they both started packing. That this was his fault, there was no other person to blame for this. She slammed the door on her way out.

He felt Sirius lifting up the covers, leaving him to feel the cold breeze that entered through his window, forcing him to curl up even more to fight the uncomfortable sensation. He liked his covers, they made him feel like he was safe... he also hadn’t wash them since Draco left so he could smell the blond’s boy flowery scent... by now they were so used that they probably just stank but whatever. 

“Rise and shine.”

“Did they come back?” He asked lifting his pillow to look at them. Just glancing at their expressions was enough to know the answer. He sat just to reach the covers that were pulled to the end of the bed and then he threw himself on the mattress again, feeling the safe warm of the sheets again. “I’m not in the mood right now.”

“We didn’t even tell you what we were going to do.” Sirius replied with an annoyed tone.

“For whatever it is, I’m not in the mood.” He said, closing his eyes, trying to ignore them until he drifted back to sleep. 

———————

They were in the middle of dinner when the crack of apparation irrupted the awkward silence that was stretching between them. 

Harry froze, feeling the blood pumping through his heart. Alive, he felt alive.

“Hey! We are home!” Ron’s voice came from the living room. 

Three weeks, three whole fucking weeks, Sirius’ birthday was the following day.

“Sorry we took a little longer! The ferret wanted to do a protection ritual and the moon phases weren’t quite right yet.” 

Oh, okay. How casual. Not even a bloody Patronus saying that they were staying longer, Harry was almost fearing that they were actually captured or dead somewhere. Turns out that the moon phases weren’t quite right. Something shattered inside the cabinet, maybe a few expensive plates for the sound of it. Fuck.

When they entered the kitchen, the first one that talked was Hermione, well, talk was maybe not the correct term.

“And you didn’t think that it would have been nice to let us know? You said a week! Ten days tops! We have all been sick with worry here and you say ‘Hey, we are home’?? I don’t even want to look at neither of you. There is not enough food for you two , I wasn’t counting you when I cooked the pasta. Eat a cereal bar or something, or don’t, who cares.”

She stormed out of the room and the sound of her steps on the stairs echoed around the house. Harry just turned to look at both of them.

“I’m glad you are here.” Then he pushed back his unfinished plate and stood up. “I’m not hungry anymore.” And marched off upstairs like Hermione did.

Before he entered his room, he could hear his dad’s voice.

“Good luck with that. They haven’t been very easy to live with lately.”

Harry was just thinking that they could all just go fuck themselves.

The record player’s sound invaded the room. Padfoot had moved it to his room last week, hoping that it would cheer Harry up, at least a bit. Hearing Queen soothed him because it was like having Malfoy near, and even though the blond boy was here now, he was too mad to go and hug him. The bloody bastard lied to his face before he left, promising to come back sooner. 

His eyes were closed but he heard the door opening softly, he cracked one eye open, the light luminous hair being the first thing that he saw. He closed it again, ignoring him completely.

The song changed and ‘Somebody to Love’ started to play. Harry thought that the universe was just doing it on purpose.

Can anybody find me somebody to love?  
Ooh, each morning I get up I die a little  
Can barely stand on my feet  
(Take a look at yourself) Take a look in the mirror and cry (and cry)  
Lord, what you're doing to me (yeah yeah)  
I have spent all my years in believing you  
But I just can't get no relief, Lord!  
Somebody (somebody) ooh somebody (somebody)  
Can anybody find me somebody to love?

The song was a bit too close to home. Harry wishing that someone would love him the way that Malfoy loved Nott... That just for once, life would smile at him and would give him something that he craved for.

The blond boy didn’t say anything, he just closed the door behind him and stood on the other side of the room.

Harry wasn’t going to talk if Draco wasn’t even trying. He fixed his glasses and crossed his arms stubbornly over his chest.

“Are you going to be mad at me forever?” Draco asked tentatively, before flashing a handsome smirk his way. “Didn’t you miss me?”

He didn’t have the slightest idea of how much he missed him. Nonetheless, Harry tried to preserve the little dignity that he had left by not replying.

Everyday (everyday) I try and I try and I try  
But everybody wants to put me down  
They say I'm going crazy  
They say I got a lot of water in my brain  
Ah, got no common sense  
I got nobody left to believe in  
Yeah yeah yeah yeah

The boy started to mouth the lyrics, not singing, just... doing the playback, his grey eyes shining. He couldn’t tear his eyes away.

Oh, Lord  
Ooh somebody, ooh somebody  
Can anybody find me somebody to love?  
(Can anybody find me someone to love)

Got no feel, I got no rhythm  
I just keep losing my beat (you just keep losing and losing)  
I'm OK, I'm alright (he's alright, he's alright)  
I ain't gonna face no defeat (yeah yeah)  
I just gotta get out of this prison cell  
One day (someday) I'm gonna be free, Lord!

Every note, Draco was doing the playback so perfectly that he almost seemed like he was singing to Harry. His heart was pounding, he was fighting the smile that was starting to appear in his face, biting his lower lip.

“It’s not working.” He said, raising an eyebrow, trying to act like Malfoy wasn’t the most beautiful and cute creature ever... Here, dancing to this particular song, offering him his most dashing smile in his repertoire.

Find me somebody to love  
Find me somebody to love  
Find me somebody to love  
Find me somebody to love  
Find me somebody to love

Draco danced his way towards where he was sitting on the bed, twirling dramatically mouthing the lyrics as he did.

Find me somebody to love  
Find me somebody to love  
Find me somebody to love love love  
Find me somebody to love  
Find me somebody to love

He knelt in the mattress, smirking at him. The crescendo of the song was building up the anticipation of what was about to happen. He inhaled Malfoy’s delicious smell and knew that he wouldn’t be strong enough to deny whatever that the boy was going to ask from him. Fuck his pride, Draco could ask for his heart so he could perform a blood ritual and Harry would gladly rip off his chest just to give it to him.

Somebody somebody somebody somebody  
Somebody find me  
Somebody find me somebody to love  
Can anybody find me...

The voice of Freddie Mercury filled the room, Draco stopped mouthing the lyrics and locked his grey stormy beautiful eyes with his green ones. 

somebody to...

His lips itched, craving for Malfoy’s. ’Kiss me, you gorgeous prat. Can’t you see that I might die if you don’t? I need to know that we are okay.’

love?

And like if the boy had read his thoughts, with the most epic moment of the entire song playing in the background, Malfoy kissed him. His lips grounded Harry for the first time in weeks, warming his heart and erasing all the self-loathing thought he had. 

Right now it was just the two of them. No fights, no horcrux hunt, just Draco kissing him after a long trip. 

Home, at last.


	11. Her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi!! I really hope you enjoy this one ✨ let me know what you thought of it! I love to read your comments 💕
> 
> Ps. I’ve checked but I’m sorry if you find any errors in this one.

Theodore: 

I think that I’m finally dying... Don’t get me wrong, I know She has to wait to take me away, but I saw Her.

It happened at the beach, we were already packed, ten days was our limit for being away from home, and Weasley suggested to go to the beach at night... Of course I said yes.

Everything was good, at first... I just had this feeling in the pit of my stomach that made me kind of nervous. Then, I saw Her. 

Her long silky black hair and her dress seemed to shine with the light of the moon reflecting on them. I have to admit that She is a beauty... Her smile isn’t, though, it paralyzed me.

Death just stood in the middle of the sea, the waves were playing with her white transparent dress. It reminded me of the curtains from the veil, like she was carrying the doors to the other side with her... Like she could just walked up to where I was and take me. 

I was scare, and Weasley was too. He couldn’t see what was happening but he kept trying to make me come back, apparently I just stared at the water for thirty minutes, just breathing and barely blinking.

We had to stay after that, Bill Weasley is a curse-breaker and Ron was convinced that what I experienced counted as curse-breaker territory. It didn’t, clearly, he was just too worried to care. We agreed to stay for a few more days, to check that it wouldn’t happen again. Yes, we are that naive, Theo; thanks for asking.

For the most part, it didn’t happen... Death presented herself when we were about to leave again, this time she took a few steps forward and I practically run inside of the cottage and had a coughing fit right there. I think she made me have one, does that make sense? I never had one not ‘Potter-related’, it was the first one, and I would very much for it to be the last.

I was kind of a mess so I asked Weasley to stay a little longer. I didn’t want her to follow me back home, not with Mr Potter there... She can’t take it back but I don’t know how a returned soul could react to her presence. I did every bloody ritual of protection that I could, hoping that it would be enough. I don’t think they worked. The feeling in my stomach is there... I think she is near, waiting. 

She can’t take me until June, can’t she? Help me, Theo, you always knew the rules of this, way better than me.

Please be safe, I have enough dark and sad in my life as it is, I don’t need for you to die first too.

Draco.

Dear Theodore:

Merry Christmas. I made it through almost two months and she hasn’t taken me so yey! If you are asking wether I’m using jokes and sarcasm as a defense mechanism or not... The answer is yes, obviously.

It was my first Christmas without presents ever, I think it was what made it special, though. We danced and cooked and we forgot about this war for the last two days. 

Did you know that the whole ‘complementary Patronus’ is actually a lie? It was invented by the pureblood families to ensure heteronormativity in the marriages. Part of me is shocked that we’ve been lied to and the other is not surprised at all. I’ve found out because Mr. Potter told us the truth. Turns out that finding the person who complements your Patronus is rather rare but not impossible... Potter’s mother had a doe as her Patronus, James’ is a stag.

I didn’t want to ask in front of Sirius, just in case, so I waited and then I asked Mr. Potter about it when we were alone doing the dishes (yes, I do the dishes now, how common). I asked him if Lily was his soulmate then, do you know what he told me?   
‘Oh, kid. No. Don’t believe that crap. Women’s patronus tend to be female and men tend to have male ones, that stupid story is just made up to invalidate any same gender relationship.’ The only thing that’s true, is the fact that your Patronus shiftes and changes with love. Harry’s Patronus is a stag too, for example.

Have you ever tried to cast yours? I wonder what shape it would be... Probably something that runs fast, you always loved the feeling of freedom and the adrenaline. I honestly can’t imagine you with something domestic, like a cat or a dog, as your Patronus.

I have to go now, Weasley is forcing me to sleep for a while, at least.

As always, be safe.

Draco  
————————-

He felt gentle fingers caressing his cheek, his mind tried to focus on the sensation... Was this a dream?

His eyes fluttered open and he narrowed them, the sparkling green eyes and the smile he loved so much were the first things he saw. The flowers danced happily around his lungs, like they were greeting the gorgeous boy that was kneeling beside his bed. 

Draco grabbed his hand and placed a little kiss on Potter’s palm, whispering a soft ‘Hi’, knowing that Weasley would kill them if they woke him up.

“Good morning.” Harry answered with a smile before tugging the blond boy’s hand, guiding him to leave the warm of his bed and follow him. Rubbing his eyes and yawning, Draco complied.

He put on his night robe and went to the bathroom to wash his face and teeth, a lame attempt to try to wake up and look like a person at this ungodly hour. Potter said that he would wait for him in the kitchen so he climbed down the stairs as quietly as he could and slowly made his way towards the room. When he opened the door, Harry was already heating up the water for the tea. 

“Do you want me to prepare some eggs? Or pancakes.” The blond boy asked as he closed the door behind him and walked towards the boy. Potter didn’t respond at first, but when Draco was close enough, he took his hand and pulled him near.

“You didn’t even kiss me good morning, Malfoy. Where are your manners?” The blond boy let out a soft chuckle before their mouths connected.

To be fair, it started off being pretty chaste, just their lips touching. They tried to keep any PDA to a minimum, Draco didn’t like the idea of disrespecting Mr. Potter by snogging his son right in front of him. Harry didn’t seem to give a damn, though.

They kept on kissing. With each brush of their lips, the kiss seemed to deepen. It was too early in the morning and his brain wasn’t working quite properly yet to tell him restrain himself. A soft moan escaped Potter’s mouth and the boy pulled him even nearer. The dark-haired boy was now trapped between the kitchen counter and Draco’s hips. Harry separated their mouths for a second to catch some breath but quickly moved to attach his beautiful lips to the blond boy’s neck, mixing his fingers in his hair. He tried not to whimper at the feeling but it was in vain.

“Shit.” The grey-eyed breathed out and Harry chuckled, pleased with himself, and stopped kissing his neck to bit him softly. Draco kind of hated that he was at the other boy’s mercy... Or he loved it immensely, he couldn’t decide. Nonetheless, he grabbed Potter’s waist and lifted him to sit him at the counter with ease. What was he thinking? They never did something like this... Was it too much? His thoughts were interrupted completely by Harry moving to make room for him between his legs and slamming their lips together again.

He couldn’t even begin to explain what he felt inside of him, pure bliss, the flowers were fluttering around him in a haze. The tickles and the warm feeling spread from his lungs, to his heart and the rest of his body... Like an unstoppable sensation that he was growing addictive of. 

Potter wrapped his legs around Draco’s waist and, much to the daffodils disdain, he stopped kissing him to speak. Harry groaned in annoyance.

“Don’t you think that this is a bit too much too fast?” He asked, his breath still agitated from before. The green-eyed boy just leaned to connect their lips together again but Draco stopped him. “Words, scarhead.” He heard him groaned again.

“Isn’t it obvious enough? No. Now, fucking kiss me before I hex you.” 

He didn’t need to be told twice.

Between the kisses, Harry (being the bloody prat that he was) unbuttoned the blond boy’s shirt, one button at a time. By the time that he had realized it, the green-eyed boy was running his perfect hands slowly from Draco’s neck to his stomach, making him shiver. 

That was how James and Sirius found them. Potter’s legs wrapped around him, his shirt undone and snogging on the kitchen counter.

“Excuse you.” Mr. Potter’s voice echoed in the room and Draco automatically removed himself from Harry’s personal space, trying to cover his bare chest. His face must have been red as the bloody Gryffindor flag.

“I’m so so so sorry, Mr Potter. I don’t know what came over me I-“ his stutter was cut short by the other boy’s response.

“It’s not such a big deal, dad.” He said, Draco couldn’t disagree more. He imagined being in James’ place right now... It couldn’t be fun at all to witness that, not fun at all.

“Little cousin, why don’t we leave and let these two talk, huh?”

“Actually, Padfoot, I would appreciate it very much if you didn’t try to escape from having this awkward talk with your godson. Kid, please go to your room.” 

All orders, no place for disagreement. He knew better than to respond so he just started to march off the room, his eyes fixed on the floor.

“You can’t just send him away! We are both adults, you know? I can do what I want with my own body-“

“Harry, we are going talk about this. Next time, maybe you will think about it a little more before choosing the place where we all cook to do that.”

That was the last thing that he heard before he closed the door.

—————-

Draco spent the rest of the day brewing potions with Hermione. Weasley helped them doing basic stuff like chopping or looking at the cauldrons when they were busy with another one. Potter was nowhere to be seen, the blond boy imagined that he was being told off and educated while the three of them tried to brew pepper up potion for an army. 

Weasley didn't even ask what happened that morning because how Draco looked when he entered their room again was pretty much self explanatory. He guessed that Hermione had been informed by Ron and therefore restrain herself from asking questions, which it was great, less awkward conversations.

After a couple of hours, Ron got bored and left them to finish the rest of the work. Draco was just surprised that he lasted as long as he did, considering how much the boy hated potions. 

He was cleaning up with Granger when Potter started to casually pass by the door over and over again.Draco bit his lip, trying not to smile.

"Does he think that he is being subtle?" The girl said as she stored the vials.

"Probably." 

"Go, I'll finish up in here." She stated with a note expression.

"Really?"

"Yes, I'm going to hex him if he passes by one more time." Draco chuckled and gave him a grateful nod as he walked off the room. He almost bumped into Harry as he crossed the doorframe.

The green-eyed played dumb, asking Draco if he was done already and the blond boy only laughed and walked towards Potter’s room, entering without permission.

“So...” 

“It was mortifying.” 

“Yeah, I thought so.”

“No, you didn’t.” Potter said with an exasperated tone in his voice before throwing himself on the bed sighing. “It took  all day, Draco. No sex talk takes that long. Everything, they talked about everything.” He hissed and raised his hand to start to enumerate the topics, lifting a finger as a new topic appeared. “Consent, all the different ways to have sex (which I knew, by the way, I sleep in a room with four other boys), diseases (both magical and muggle), sex with girls, sex with boys, and PREGNANCY! Did you know that wizards can get pregnant?” Oh... that.

“Well... yeah but it’s pretty rare... you need the potions and, even then, it’s really difficult.”

“It isn’t.” Harry replied smiling, excitement written all over his face. Draco frowned, what was he talking about? “Padfoot told me that pureblood families say that because same sex marriage is frowned upon, but it’s not difficult at all. It can even happen without the potions, you can ask them.” The words echoed in his head, his brain was trying to process the information. “They even had a pregnancy scare when they were at school.”

“What?”

“Yes! So they talked to me about contraception too, spells and potions-“Potter’s rant was interrupted by the sob that escaped from Draco’s mouth. “Hey... It’s okay... I thought this would be a good thing...” He tried to formulate an answer but the only thing that seemed to come out was even more tears. “Please talk to me.” He heard him plea as he intertwined their fingers together.

“It just sucks.”

“What...? Having kids? You don’t have to-“

“Dying. It fucking sucks to die. My entire life I-“ He spoke with a broken voice between his sobs. “I thought that I would have to adopt or whatever if I wanted a family. Now, turns out I could just be myself and still give the Malfoy family a heir. Not that it matters because I’m pretty sure that I was disowned but- It just fucking sucks. And... I won’t even blame him when I die, you know?” The last part came out in a very thin voice, trembling as he pronounced each word. 

He felt Potter tense beside him.The blond boy cleaned his tears with the back of his hand and looked at him again. Harry had taken off his glasses and he was pressing his eyes with his free hand, the one that wasn’t attached to Draco’s. The boy started to mumble things that he couldn’t quite understand, angry.

“If you die, you might not blame him but I will.” Was the only comprehensible thing that came out from Potter’s mouth. And the daffodils shiver at his tone, recognizing it as the proof that he cared for him. 

“Don’t.” He answered lifting the boy’s chin to make his gorgeous green eyes meet his. “When I die-“

“If you die”

“Fine. If I die... I want for you to move on, okay? Don’t... Just don’t go around blaming people.”

Because he knew that he would... If Draco decided to tell Harry before he dies, and the boy didn’t feel the same way, he would blame himself; and that was something that he couldn’t allow. But the other option, the one that he had planned to do, was not telling him anything and that would make Harry blame Theodore or his friends for not ending all of this sooner than later to give Draco a fair chance. In all honesty, the blond boy couldn’t imagine being closer to the boy than he was in than moment, which meant that if he had the chance, it was because he was living with them and spending time alone with Potter.

He had thought that he was better, being near with the green-eyed boy always soothed the flowers and that meant less coughs or petals... But then, he saw Death at the cottage and he felt her around now, like she was watching... waiting for Draco to fail and take him with her. If Death was around, then he wasn’t better at all. 

He winced when he felt a sharp pain, he felt like his lungs were contorting, and the couldn’t help to cough. The blood dripping on the bed and the yellow And tainted petals laid there as a reminder that he definitely wasn’t okay. He wasn’t sure if he coughed because of Potter or because of Death. Did it really matter at this point? 

Harry took his face in his hands, and guided him to bring their lips together. Draco gasped in surprise as their mouths met. They never did this, the dark haired boy always felt awkward when he coughed and put distance between them. For the first time ever, he felt what it was to have an instant remedy to burning in his lungs after a coughing fit. Fuck the potions, fuck the amortentia, Potter’s lips were the best painkiller that ever existed.

The kiss was slow and cautious, it tasted different, his blood was mixing with the taste of Harry and it wasn’t quite right but Draco felt so good that he didn’t care. After a few moments, Potter stopped entirely to speak.

“Don’t ask me to forget about it ever again, Draco. I’m already watching you die, we all are, you can’t ask more from us.”  
——————————-

He couldn't sleep, and usually it wouldn't have been something odd... These last two months falling asleep was difficult because his mind wouldn't shut up, but that wasn't the case that night. 

Draco heated up the water to make himself some tea, maybe some warm in his body would make the chills go away. He felt her around, lurking. What do you want? I still have six months.

The mansion was quiet, everyone was sleeping. He was so cold that he had to put Weasley's sweater, even if it was hideous, it was the warmest thing he could find. 

He looked through the window, the snow was falling, painting white in every corner of the garden, it seemed to be the only thing illuminating the night as it reflected the moonlight... Draco wished he could appreciate the beauty of it all, but his mind was too bloody worried. He turned around sighing as he took the cup of tea in between his hands. Maybe he was just being paranoid. 

When his eyes returned to the window, the mug fell off his hands and shattered on the floor, echoing in the entire house. He couldn’t have cared any less about the noise in that moment, though.

A silver doe patronus, looking at him from the other side of the window. Gorgeous, it was so gorgeous and Draco was so terrified.

With his wand at the ready, he walked carefully towards the garden’s door, trying to not make any more noise than he already did.

It was freezing outside, no Weasley sweater was enough for this but he didn’t want to go back to get a coat, not now. The patronus was still looking at him, waiting.

“Mrs Potter...?” Draco asked softly but the doe just crooked his head to a side. “Lily.” He corrected himself, she had a beautiful name, she deserved to be called with such.

The doe seemed to react to that and turned around to walk slowly to the edge of the garden.

“The wards-“ He tried to explain but it was in vain, the patronus was leaving and Draco had the most stupid idea ever: he needed to follow it.

Beyond the wards, beyond protection, he was walking behind the silver doe, freezing. They were going to kill him for this, but he couldn’t ignore the patronus of Potter’s mother...

The dead couldn’t cast anything, their magic became part of nature, but the doe was here and Draco saw things that most living people didn’t see... Maybe he could see Lily. At least like this. And she was guiding him somewhere, he needed to know where.

They got to the edge of the forest and Draco felt a shiver run down his spine as he crossed the first line of trees. Whenever he tried to speak, the doe would turn around and send him a reprimanding look that would shut him right up.

There was a little lake, not far away from the edge of the forest. He had a bad feeling about this, the daffodils were starting to scratch him and Potter was nowhere to be seen, which meant that there only was another being who could make him hurt like this. Fuck. 

The doe walked slowly over the frozen lake and gestured with her head to guide Draco’s eyes to look inside of it. His heart almost stopped; the sword. The fucking Gryffindor sword, impregnated with basilisk’s venom, the one that Dumbledore left for Harry. Mrs Potter was truly an angel on earth. He lifted his eyes and gave the doe his most sincere smile.

“Thank you, Lily.” He said with a kind voice, the doe just stood there and Draco understood that she was waiting for him to fetch the sword.

He took off his sweater, thinking that he was about to jump to a bloody frozen lake and maybe he was going to appreciate having a dry sweater after the whole thing. The blond boy casted a reducto, shattering the ice and revealing the cold water that was under it. 

“I can’t believe that I’m doing this.” He said before raising his eyes to speak to the doe again. “Wish me luck.”

And he jumped inside of the lake with his wand in his hand.


	12. The Aftermath.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi!! I’m so glad I got to update, I have to prepare midterms this week but I promise to try to update as soon as I can (mostly because I know that it’s horrible to wait to know what the fuck is going to happen next). Please let me know what you thought of this one!! ✨ I’m really nervous because it took a lot of work and rewrites 💕
> 
> Ps: I’ve checked but sorry if you find any errors in this one.

The water was so cold that he felt his skin burn as soon as he jumped in, maybe this wasn’t a good idea.

He was already in, though, and he needed that sword. Draco swam, diving into the chilling waters, he was having troubles seeing clearly, so he casted a wordless lumos while he still was underwater. The blond boy attempted to take the sword by the grip, extending his arm to grab it. Come on.

A slender hand closed its long fingers around his wrist. The daffodils reacted almost instantly, cutting him, warning him that they needed to get out of there. The panic was spreading through him like a wave, touching every single fiber in his body. It’s a trap. No, fuck no.

Afraid to look up, still holding his breath, Draco gathered the courage to lift his eyes. As soon as he saw her, as their eyes met, something in his breathing changed...

“You have been running away from me, boy”

Somehow, being under water didn’t seem to affect her at all. Her voice was as enchanting as he remembered, hearing her was like hearing the perfect melody on a piano and wanting, needing to play it over and over again. His heart pumped a little slower at the sound of her voice and Draco was just happy that he had, at least, some strength to free himself from her hand.

He swam up as fast as he could, knowing full well that he was leaving the sword behind him. Just the surface, he just needed to reach to it. At the same time, he was trying to picture the cute little boy in Madam Malkin’s; it was so hard to focus... When he got to the surface he took a breath from fresh air and yelled as he waved his wand.

“Expecto Patronum!” 

What came out of the wand wasn’t a lion, he was too distracted for that. The ball of silver was floating and Draco couldn’t be any more thankful. He called the only person who would understand what was happening.

“Weasley! Help!! I-“

Those were the only words that he got to pronounce because he was being sunken back in the lake, being pulled by his ankle with such force that it was unavoidable.

He allowed himself to look at her, the fabric of the white transparent dress floating around her, her silky long black hair framing her beautiful features as she drag Draco into the depth of the lake. When he stopped struggling she took his face in her hands and muttered something that he couldn’t understand.

Suddenly, they weren’t under water. He felt like he was, because the cold was the same, but around him... There wasn’t anything, not water, not air, no stars, no earth... just darkness and nothingness.

“You can’t get out of here unless I allow it.” She stated, standing a few meters away from him.

“Is this the other side?” He asked, fearing that his soul had crossed the veil without realizing it. Her melodic laughter filled the silence.

“No, boy. You still have time. Is that why you keep running away?”

“Maybe...”

“Foolish, I just wanted to talk. You were so polite and kind when we met the first time, I thought that you liked my presence.” 

And Draco thought that lying was the most logical option, to say that yes, he loved her and all the things she had in her realm, but he didn’t find it in him to say any of those things. 

“I apologize, your highness.” Was the only thing that came out instead.

“There is no need for such formalities. I’ll just cut to the chase, your friends are coming.” Thank fuck. “You have something that belongs to me, I want it back.” 

Draco frowned, his heart pounding against his chest.

“Yo-you made a deal! You can’t take James away-“

“Do you always jump to conclusions? I will not take James Fleamont Potter back with me, nor do I wish to take you sooner to the other side.” The flowers seemed to relax at her clarification. “It is not a soul. I can not tell you what it is, there are rules that forbid me to speak of it. But I want it back, I was young and reckless when I made it and I wish to have it back.”

“And I have to find this...? Even if I don’t know what it is or how does it look like?” He tried not to offend her but it sounded ridiculous.

“The only thing I can say is that you actually have two things that belong to me. One you can keep, I do not care for it, the other one is the one I want.” 

He felt the change of temperature, like a distant sensation that was surrounding his body. He looked around, still nothingness. 

“Your redhead friend does not like me very much, he is threatening me, saying that I should let you alone or else.” She said smoothly, chuckling as she mentioned Weasley. “Do you promise to find it?” Draco nodded.

“I’ll do my best.” 

She walked to where he was, putting a hand on his forehead.

“I know, you are an awfully committed soul.” She said and pushed him back, the ‘nothingness floor’ disappeared under him and he was falling into the darkness. 

He could hear their voices, like they were muffled. His head was killing him and his eyes were heavy, he tried to opened them but failed. There was pressure in his chest...

“Come on, Draco!!” He heard Granger scream. “One, two, three, four..” 

“Kid, please wake up.”

“Enervate! Enervate, you stupid ferret!”

“Ron you are not helping!!” Her voice achieved a high pitch tone that Draco had never heard before. Then, he felt someone open his mouth and pinch his nose. Air was being blowed into his mouth repeatedly... when the press in his chest started again, he coughed.

“Oh thank god.” Granger breathed out in relief.

Draco was coughing, the cold water coming out from his lungs with the daffodils included. He tried to formulate the words in between the coughs.

“The...sword-“

“Ferret?”

“She- Her “ The petals wouldn’t stop coming out. “Is in the lake- I - I have to get it.” He said and pushed himself up, or at least he tried to... His legs failed him and he was caught by someone. The cheap cologne filled his nostrils... Potter.

“You are not going anywhere” 

“The sword of Gryffindor... In the lake... I have to...” 

I have to get it.

His eyes were heavy again, Draco wanted to remain awake... He tried to, with all his strength to walk again.

Everything went black.

—————————  
—————————

"Harry, you need to go to sleep." He raised his eyes when he heard the voice of his father.

He needed for Malfoy to wake up, actually. In just a couple of hours it would be a whole day since the boy passed out. They had casted the heating charms as soon as Ron got him out of the lake and throwed him in hot water when they got to the house... His temperature seemed to rise, which was a good thing because he was so cold... But the truth was that, now, the coldness was replaced with a fever. It worried him, Hermione said that it was normal, with the temperature that he had to endure it would be worrisome for him not to get sick.

“I’m fine.” He replied as he moved on the chair, trying to be more comfortable.

His father sighed and closed the door again, he could hear him talking with Padfoot outside, complaining about the situation. They should mind their own business. After what the horcrux said to Sirius when he was trying to destroy it... 

‘ I know you, Sirius Orion Black. Your soul is the darkest. Neglected by your parents who always liked your brother better. Disowned by your family because of a love that was never requited... You never were his first choice, were you? Even now, he is only with you because his true love isn’t here. He feels pity for you, just like the Potters did. They never loved you, not truly, Euphemia just put up with you because of his son-’

And Sirius brandished the sword, breaking the locket. After the horcrux was destroyed he said: ‘That was a lie, I was Euphemia’s favorite.’. While that made Harry like his grandmother a whole lot, he couldn’t shake the feeling that they should talk if the man still thought that his dad was only with him because his mother wasn’t around.

He turned to look at the blond boy again, and reached to move his hair out of his face before checking his temperature. Still high, fuck.

“You have no idea of how angry I am. None. I swear.” Harry said with an exasperated tone. “But... It will be worst if you don’t wake up. Is... Is She keeping you there? Ron told us, he screamed bloody murder when the patronus came to get him, woke us all up.” He took a deep breath and got up from the chair to sit at the bed, next to the boy, to be closer to him. He grabbed the boy’s hand and started to trace the line on his palm. “Why didn’t you tell me, Draco...? I keep trying to understand why did you lie about the cottage, and I find no explanation, you know? Because there is none, you should have told us.” Harry felt the tears start to course down his cheeks, his glasses were starting to get tarnished from the crying so he took them off. “ I’m not useless. I can help you, I swear... I- I know I haven’t been much help with all this except for maybe distracting you, but I’m trying.” 

He felt so helpless. He loved this boy so much that his body physically ached when they were not together and Draco didn’t even consider him to tell him his problems. ‘ He would have told Nott ’ The toxic little voice in his head kept on whispering, making him feel madder and madder by the minute.

“I care about you.” The words left his lips, his voice so thin and weak. “I know that we are not supposed to talk about our feelings or whatever but I do. And I don’t want you to die, much less before we get our time together... I’m babbling, I know. You hate when I do that.”

“Harry...” Draco’s voice sounded rough and tired, he widened his eyes.

“Draco?” The dark haired boy moved to check his temperature again, the fever was increasing. Fuck. The other boy opened his eyes, they seemed lost, even when they found Harry’s green ones.

“I- I’m sorry.” 

“Don’t talk, please. I’m going to call someone, see if we can give you pepper-up again-“

“I’m sorry for maki- making fun of you.” He was gone in his own thoughts... Harry knew that because his eyes couldn’t focus and his voice was all sleepy. He felt like his heart was being squeezed just from the sight. Why did this felt like a goodbye? “I saw your mother... Lily is nice... Maybe we can be friends after-“

The blond boy’s rant was cut short by Harry’s screaming, asking for someone to come quick. He saw his mother, the boy saw his mother and Death all in the same day and now his fever was higher... This felt like a goodbye because- No. He wasn’t going to think about that. Not now, they still have time. 

The door opened and everyone entered the room. It was normal now, after what happened they were all equally worried. Originally, they were going to take turns to look after Malfoy, but since Harry refused to leave his side, it didn’t work out.

“Ferret! You are awake!” Ron exclaimed with happiness, the dark haired boy let out a sob as more tears came out of his eyes.

“He is not, I think he is hallucinating or talking in his sleep... I don’t think he will remember what he is saying. He just apologized to me, for everything, he said he saw my mom-“ His voice came out strangled, talking through the lump in the back of his throat was getting painful. “I can’t be here if he is saying goodbye. I can’t- give him something, please. His fever-“ 

Suddenly he was being pulled out of the room in Padfoot’s arms, the man said that he couldn’t be there for a goodbye either and that just made Harry cry even harder because it felt too real and he wanted for all to be just a bad dream.

His godfather pour him a glass of water and put it in the little table next to them. Not that he could drink anything right now but it was a thoughtful gesture. They sat on the couch, hugging each other while they listened to the other three argue up there about what could be the best thing to give to the boy. It was too much.

“How did you do it?” Harry asked with a thin voice. Sirius didn’t respond, maybe he was waiting for a him to clarify what he meant. “How did you live fourteen years of your life without him? I can’t even picture myself existing if he doesn’t call me Potter or Scarhead once a day. I can’t imagine not hearing his voice, I-“

“It’s the pain.” Padfoot answered with a calm voice as he brushed his fingers through Harry’s hair, trying to sooth him. “The pain reminds you that you are alive and you keep living because it’s what they would have wanted. In my case, knowing that I had to get to you eventually was a big help... focusing on other things.”

“I don’t want to focus on other things. It’s hard enough knowing that he is going to marry someone else and I’m going to die alone, because  I don’t want anyone else. But... but I thought that maybe i could still be in his life, you know? Being his friend... I’ll put up with Nott, I don’t care.” He looked away, embarrassed because he was about to confess something that he had never told anyone, something that made him feel like the worst person ever. “And... maybe with time I could be something more... I wouldn’t mind keeping it a secret-“

“Oh, Prongslet, no. You don’t want to be-“

“Don’t lecture me, Padfoot. Wouldn’t you have done the same if dad offered? Even if he was married and had a family.” Sirius sighed, a sad look on his eyes.

“Yes.” His godfather replied and Harry was glad to hear it. 

At least he wasn’t the only one.

—————-

Harry woke up in his own bed, alone. He remembered talking with Padfoot on the couch, he didn’t remember falling asleep... Just drinking water... Oh. Sneaky little bastard.

“Good morning.” Was this..? Was he still dreaming? 

He turned around and there he was, looking all gorgeous. He had one of Ron’s sweaters on, maybe he was still cold, but he didn’t looked sick at all. Harry felt like a weight on his chest had been lifted.

“Before you say anything, I’m going to talk because every single person in this house has already lectured me.” Malfoy said before taking a sit on his bed and grabbing Harry’s hand. It was warm... but the right amount, no fever, no freezing water temperature, alive and well. He locked his green eyes in his stormy grey ones, encouraging for him to go on. “I didn’t tell you about the cottage because I was afraid that She was looking for your father or for me, and I didn’t want to worry you. I went looking for the sword because I saw your mother’s patronus, given the fact that I’ve been seeing Death I thought it could be her so I followed. We are not sure that it was her now, or Death trying to pull me closer... It doesn’t matter though. I’m sorry, okay? For everything. For not telling you, for going there alone, for making you cry, I’m sorry.”

“Can you kiss me?” Is the only thing that Harry could reply after his monologue. He tugged Draco’s hand and guided him close, he needed to feel like everything was real.

And when Malfoy kissed him, he felt like everything was alright again, like the day before was just this nightmare and the blond boy just came to wake him up, like he always did.

“I have this vague memory that I’ve already told you this... But I’m sorry about mocking you about your parents... For both of them. They are great and you are just like them... That’s a good thing. And what it’s not like them, it’s like Sirius and that’s amazing too.”

Harry blushed as a soft smile appeared on his lips. How could this boy make him be even more in love with him? How? It wasn’t normal, this amount of love for a single person wasn’t natural.

“I-“ ’I love you, so much that you can do with me what you want, okay? I’m going to be happy being whatever it is that you want me to be: your friend, your lover, your partner, your husband. Just ask for it and I’ll do it.’ It was in moments like this when he understood why he was supposed to be in slytherin. The words died in his throat, there was no way he could say that to Malfoy’s face. He lacked the courage, it just wasn’t in him.

“You... what?” The grey eyed boy was looking at him, expectant, like if whatever Harry was about to say was the most important thing ever. 

“I like you. I really really like you.” He said and his face was blushed crimson red. But the smile in Draco’s face was blinding, so it was worth the embarrassment. The blond boy leaned and planted a soft kiss on his lips again and another one on his nose, playfully.

“I really like you too. Really.” He said and then he pushed some of Harry’s hair off his face. “Do you forgive me? I mean- you don’t have to. I know I was a terrible person for a long time but-“

“I do.” He said calmly as he offered a smile to the boy. “I think I forgave you a long time ago but thank you for apologizing. It means a lot.” 

And he kissed Draco again, smiling in between the kisses and feeling utterly happy the whole time. 

‘He is here, he is here and he is safe and healthy and we have time.’


	13. Jealousy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! Between a lot of things, I got to write this. Let me know what you thought! 
> 
> Ps. I’ve checked but sorry if you find any errors in this one.

“Repeat what She told you” Granger said as she fixed her bushy hair into a messy bun. Weasley’s eyes diverted to look at the neck of the girl that was now exposed, blushing softly. Draco fought the urge to mock him for being so obvious.

“You have something that belongs to me, and I want it back. It’s not Mr. Potter, It’s not me... And the clue was: you actually have two things but I only want one of them back. She said that she was reckless when she made it.”

Potter and Weasley weren’t actually paying attention, they were convinced that Death actually wanted Draco and she was just lying, but he knew better. If she wanted to take him she would have done so at the lake. 

“What could she have made? Corpses...? You don’t think that we have someone buried under here, do you?” Hermione sounded a little freak out, but he shook his head. Her face seemed to relax.

“All the books I’ve read say that she made The Veil... That’s clearly not here so I don’t have a clue of what she wants.” He replied as he pushed his hair back, it was getting longer and though he kind of liked how it looked, it was annoying because it kept being all over his face.

The subject was dropped after that, it was getting tedious to keep going over and over about the same thing and, since Draco had woken up, it was the only thing that they talked about. 

Between training, potion brewing and snogging Harry: January passed by rather quickly and February was here.

Since that eventful day where Draco had spent passed out and with a worrisome fever, the dark haired boy seemed to be more attached to him than ever. For example: He would hold his hand casually in the middle on the meeting, ignoring the increasing blush in the blond boy’s face. Or he would come to look for him in his room after Ron was asleep; no insomnia nor nightmares as an excuse... Just Harry wanting to kiss his face off in the middle of the night. 

Another change in their relationship (if Draco could call it that) was the fact that, since Potter had ‘the talk’ he seemed unafraid to take things further as he would call it. And you can go ahead and call him a prude, but even if Harry wasn’t afraid Draco totally was. He feared that the Daffodils would start to want sex as a drug too (like it happened with kissing) so he wouldn’t be able to function like a normal human being because he would get coughing fits whenever he was horny. Could you imagine how depressing and needy that would be? Draco seeing Potter’s arse in jog pants, and starting to cough because he was suddenly in the mood for an entirely different kind of training.

No, snogging shirtless was enough further for him right now, thanks. Sometimes he wished to just kiss, the normal kind of snogging, you know? Because there was only so much self-control that Draco had and if Harry kept on taking his clothes off whenever they kiss, he would eventually cave... And it was going to be an issue, he just knew it. 

The problem was that Draco tried not to be obvious about it, maybe he would just play dumb at Potter’s hints to take off his shirt, he would shut him up with a kiss when he dared to ask a question with the slightest suggestive tone in his voice... Harry was bound to snap eventually, he just didn’t see it coming when it happened.

“Do you think that I’m ugly or something?” 

It was, probably, the dumbest question that Draco had ever heard in his short life; fighting for the first place with that one time that his father asked ‘Do you have feelings for that disgusting mudblood girl in your year? Is that why you let her beat you in every class?’ To which he had responded ‘No father, I’m just that stupid.’ and won himself a slap on the face.

The green-eyed boy kept on looking at him, scowl on his face. 

“Clearly, I don’t think you are ugly, Potter. Don’t be ridiculous.”

“What do you expect me to think? You don’t want to touch me.” He sounded hurt. The daffodils started to scratch him, trying to force him to comply and do whatever it was that Harry needed. Draco tried to hold back the coughs but he couldn’t, instead, petals fell on the boy’s bed, the drops of blood staining the covers. When he looked up, Harry had fixed his shirt again and put his glasses back on.

“Get out.” Draco blinked.

“What...?”

“Get out, Malfoy. I don’t want you here now, leave.” He looked so mad... He tried to recall what he have done to make him this mad but he couldn’t. Maybe it was because of the ‘further’ thing? 

“Hey, no.” He got closer to the boy and tried to take his hand but Harry pushed him away. “ I really like you... I told you, remember? That includes everything. I like how you look too-“

“Exactly. You like me.” He hissed. Draco frowned in confusion.

“Yes...”

Harry snorted and started to push him towards the door. 

“Get out. And don’t come by tonight.”

Once he was in the hallway, he turned around blinking and the door was slammed shut right in his face. The coughing fit began shortly after that.

———————

“It’s been four days and you look awful. Just apologize, ferret.” Weasley said as he was pushing the covers to climb into his bed.

To be honest, Sirius spent almost every night with Mr. Potter now... Draco was sure that, if Ron asked, they would give him the room for himself, but he knew that the redhead secretly enjoyed sharing the room with him. They had this little routine before going to bed where they played chess and maybe talked about stuff. Normally, the talk would be Granger centric, but since Draco looked like a corpse once he took off his glamour... They were talking about Harry instead.

Draco had began to use a glamour as soon as he realized that the green-eyed boy was really mad at him, choosing to cut him off physical contact all together. The daffodils were tearing apart his lungs, asking him to apologize, just like Weasley was doing right now.

“Apologize for what? I literally didn’t do anything. He is insane. You talk to him. You know more about his tantrums than me.”

“ He won’t talk to me. When Harry gets really mad he doesn’t talk, at all.” Yes, he knew that. Potter spent his days brooding and barking at anyone who as much as dared to say a word to him. Draco had stopped trying after his fifth attempt to start a conversation. “Just tell me. I can help, you said it yourself: I’m the Harry Potter tantrum expert.”

Fine. What did he had to loose, really? He was on the verge of tears constantly because of the Daffodils anyway. Draco guessed that it couldn’t get worst than this. Even if he dies from embarrassment from telling Weasley this kind of thing, at least the pain would be over... Maybe he could put it on his tombstone: ‘Draco Malfoy, died from embarrassment after he told his best friend about his sex life (or lack of it)’. It would be fucking hilarious, Sirius would be proud of him.

“He believes that I think that he is unattractive. Yes, I know, my face was exactly the same when he brought it up. I told him that no, clearly, I don’t and I tried to explain and he kicked me out.” The redhead was frowning at him, confused.

“That doesn’t make any sense.”

“See? I told you! He is insa-“

“No, I meant that you are skipping parts of it. There is no logic in the story.”

So Draco told him everything. He told him about the how unafraid Harry was, and he checked that the muffliato was still in its place before confessing why he feared to do more than just kissing. His friend listened and nodded, he could see Weasley wanting to make comments on things, but he waited until the blond boy was finished before saying anything. 

“He is jealous, you dumb fuck.” He said like it was the most obvious thing in the world. Harry James Potter, jealous of Merlin knows what, after he told Draco that they were not exclusive and that they had other options available.

“I don’t follow, weasel.” The redhead let out an exasperated huff.

“Okay, let me break this down for you: He likes you, right? He told you that.” Draco just nodded. “And you have a physical kind of relationship, although it’s not, because you only kiss and blush.”

“Hey! I-“

“The logic dictates that friends with benefits come with all the benefits. He doesn’t know that it means more to you, because you haven’t told him. And you don’t know how tempted I am to walk through that stupid door and confess everything, especially after what you just told me.” He said as he closed his eyes and sighed tiredly. “But Mione told me that he said some mean shit when we were at the cottage, so I don’t know how he will react, and I don’t want you bed-bound, ferret.”

“Cheers to that, weasel.” Ron rolled his eyes before continuing.

“But he is jealous. It’s obvious. Last year you snogged Nott and went to bed with him all in the same day; you’ve been snogging Harry for  months  now and you are asking him to take things slow? Of course he thinks that you don’t like him. That, or he thinks that you love Nott too much to be unfaithful to him.”

Draco grabbed a pillow and screamed in frustration, muffling the sound with it. 

“I’m not with Theo, how could I ever be ‘unfaithful’? And I shouldn’t even have to explain why I don’t want to do more than kissing, and I’m not putting out just because he is ignoring me.”

Weasley laid down on his bed and turned to look at Draco.

“No, of course not. I’m just explaining what he feels, probably. Harry is very insecure about his body, mostly because of the Dursleys... But another bit was because of you.”

Draco chocked on the petals, they went up his throat so fast that he was unable to contain them. Weasley grabbed his wand from the night stand and waved it to vanish them away.

“What...?” Draco’s voice came out strangled.

“You always made fun of him, ferret. Because of his glasses, his hair, his scar, or even how short he was.”

“Those are all things that I like about him.”

“And, again:  He doesn’t know that. When we were celebrating your birthday and Nott brought you in, (you didn’t even know that we were there yet) you said that, if Theodore wasn’t naked when you took off your blindfold you were going to be pissed. Which meant that you would consider seeing him naked as a gift... And now you get uncomfortable when Harry is shirtless while you two kiss, do you see where I’m going with this?”

Draco nodded absently, he kind of understood... if you ask him, it didn’t make sense at all, but with what Weasley said... Maybe he was a little closer to fully understand Harry’s anger.

He got up and started to walk towards Potter’s room, hearing Ron muttering ‘bloody idiots’ as he closed the door right behind him.

He knocked softly, Harry should be awake... The door didn’t open instantly, he had to wait for a while before he heard the knob turning. When it finally opened, the dark boy was looking at him, scowling. He didn’t even respond, he turned around and walked towards his bed again.

Well... he didn’t try to shut the door in his face again, so Draco called that progress. He got inside without asking for permission (because he knew that, if he asked, it would have been denied) and closed the door behind him.

They didn’t talk for a while, the blond boy was unsure of what to do, how to proceed, so he tentatively got closer to the bed and stood there, uncomfortably, until the other boy dared to speak.

“What do you want?” Was the only thing that came out of Potter’s mouth, his harsh tone cutting the silence that stretched between them. The flowers reacted instantly and started to hurt him. He begged the universe to let him have a talk with Harry without coughing, because the last time he coughed, it all went to shit.

“I like you.” He began to explain and Harry was already huffing in displeasure, muttering that he already fucking knew that. “No, you don’t. I like you, as a person and physically. I can not be anymore clear than this. And it’s not because we are trapped here, I always thought that you were attractive, alright? Now stop making me beg for your bloody forgiveness. If I want to wait then I want to wait,  there is nothing wrong with you, it’s me and my issues. If you can’t handle that, then okay... we can’t do this anymore.” He could almost hear the Daffodils crying as he pronounced the words, threatening to make him cough an entire lung out if he didn’t take back what he just said.

The green-eyed boy turned his head to look at him, fear flashed through his eyes before the walls that he had put up the last few days appeared again.

“You are not going to say anything?” Draco asked, swallowing the petals before speaking.

“I don’t know what you want me to say.” He answered stubbornly.

“How about you tell me what the hell is going on with you. Is this really about me not putting out? Because that’s really shitty of you, Potter.” Harry groaned in frustration and grabbed a pillow to hide his face in it, preventing the blond boy from seeing his face. “See? You’ve been avoiding me for days and you don’t even have the balls to give me an explanation.”

And suddenly, Potter snapped. He took off the pillow and started hissing and yelling at Draco. 

“THIS IS NOT ABOUT DOING OR NOT DOING SOMETHING.  It’s like you act dumb on purpose, I swear. This is about you not liking me, at least not enough, there is something stopping you, isn’t there? I know that I’m not the most handsome or pretty guy or whatever, okay?” Oh, for fuck’s sake. “I’m not deluded. But I-“

“ YOU WERE THE HIGHEST RATED BLOKE IN MY BLOODY LIST LAST YEAR, POTTER. STOP SAYING RUBBISH.”

‘Oh. Oh Fuck, that’s so embarrassing. Why did I just say that?’

His face was crimson red, everywhere, even his ears. Harry was looking at him, widened green eyes. Draco wanted to be swallowed by the floor and disappear.

“...What?” Draco took a deep breath and crossed his arms before answering.

“What? Is it a problem or something? You were just complaining about not being attractive-“

“No” The boy interrupted him. “No I- I mean- it’s not a problem.” His face was getting Gryffindor red too, and Draco thought that if someone walked in on them it would look pretty awkward and funny. “Ron never mentioned me on that list...Not- not that I was asking, okay? We just wanted to know who it was and-“

“Chill, Potty. I added you after he read it, but yeah. You were there.”

Draco started to see the little things that Harry did when he felt giddy and stupid when they were alone. The little smile that appeared on the corner of his lips, how he played with his glasses when he was too shy to ask for a kiss, so he would just take them off from time to time, to see if the blond boy saw that as an invite to steal a kiss from him. The flowers twirled in delight. Fucking finally, it was getting impossible to live like this.

“Highest score? 10/10 then? Like Nott and Zabini?” The flowers made a little flip again. He really was interested, wasn’t he? He remembered a silly rating that Draco had written more than a year ago... Okay, it was because Weasley mentioned it but still. Draco shifted uncomfortably before answering.

“No... I said the highest.” Harry frowned at that.

“In a scale from one to ten, ten is the highest, Malfoy.”

This is why telling him was such an awful idea. It was too much. How could Draco tell him? Those green eyes kept looking at him, expectant and the flowers were tickling him, pushing him to say it, to confess that he found Harry the most beautiful human being on the planet, that no one would ever come close to him.

“Yes, but you got an 11/10. Now will you stop saying nonsense about me not liking you enough?” 

Actually, Harry James Potter got a 100/10 on that list... But Draco wasn’t going to tell him that. 11/10 was enough embarrassment for a life time, imagine saying 100/10. Too much, definitely too much.

Harry’s corner of his lips twitched upwards until it was replaced by a gorgeous smile and Draco could swear that he was melting right on his place. How could he feel insecure about himself when he looked like that? The flowers danced around him, repeating over and over again: ‘HE IS PERFECT, SO BEAUTIFUL AND PERFECT’, and he couldn’t agree more.

Harry stood up and walked slowly to where Draco was standing, and his walk wasn’t as any other walk that Draco had seen... He seemed so confident, like he knew that he looked devastatingly attractive and he was using it to his advantage. The daffodils were crazy inside of him, twirling with anticipation. He missed him so much, it took all he had to not snog Potter against the nearest surface. He had to wait for the green-eyed to come to him. Control yourself, Draco.

And when Harry was just a few inches away from him, he run his fingers over Draco’s hair, making him shiver. He leaned against the touch, closing his eyes and he could swear that he heard Harry chuckling softly as he did so.

“So... I’m more attractive than Nott?” The boy said as he bite his bottom lip shamelessly. The flowers were starting to replace the tickling sensation with slamming themselves against his lungs to make Draco get even more near the boy. He swallowed the petals before answering.

“Yes... I always thought so.” And that, with the ‘I really like you’, was the closest that he was going to be to confessing. This fight where Harry cut off their physical contact all together had already been painful enough, Draco couldn’t imagine what would it happen if he heard the words:  I like you but not in that way... I’m not in love with you.

“Oh, really?” Harry asked beaming. “I was under the impression that my glasses are out of fashion, that my hair is a bird’s nest...” His tone was playful and the blond boy was glad that he was starting to give all those insults a different kind of meaning. “That my scar is ugly, and that I look like a third year because I’m short and skinny.”

Draco raised his hands to cover his face, trying to hide his blush. Yes, he knew that he was an awful person, okay? He could live without the bloody reminder. He never thought that Potter would take any of that seriously... He always seemed to be so above their banter and fighting, like he knew that the blond boy was so pathetic that he was using excuses just to talk to him. It never, not once, occurred to him that he was really hurting his feelings. 

The flowers were scratching him now, he needed to do something before he started coughing and Harry would get hurt again. He took his hands off his face, blushing even more than before.

“Your glasses are cute, nobody uses them so they are very you... Your hair is a bird’s nest but, even though it’s messy, it always looks soft. Your scar is not ugly, is pretty badass actually... I don’t know if anyone told you this, but it’s shape like-“ Harry chuckled and interrupted him.

“Like a lightning? Yeah, believe it or not, you are not the first one to say it.”

“No... Like the wand movement of the killing curse...” And it was kind of weird that Draco knew that, but when he saw the wand movement of the Avada Kedavra on a book back at the Manor... The blond boy couldn’t stop thinking that it was fucking amazing that Potter had it on his forehead.

“You are not joking, are you?” Harry asked, his green eyes widened and looking at him.

“No, I found out about it in third year. Or on the summer before fourth year, I don’t remember.” He replied shrugging. “So yeah, pretty badass to have that...” He took a deep breath as he felt the flowers calming down a little bit. “I’m glad that you are not as skinny as you were, but because of your health, Potter. You look healthy now and it suits you... And I always liked your height. When you get sassy you are like this 5’5” bitch and I always kind of liked that...” He said trying to contain his smile at the memories of Harry sassing Severus being the cute little thing that he was.

Suddenly, Potter was grabbing his shirt and pulling him to bring their mouths together. It felt so perfect, Draco missed this so much. He mixed his fingers with the boy’s dark hair and tried to deepen the kiss. The flowers were dancing all around him. He was just so fucking happy. Harry separated their mouths to catch some breath and spoke.

“We don’t have to do anything that you don’t want... I was an arse, sorry. I just... I couldn’t stop thinking about-“

“You were jealous, Scarhead. It’s okay.” Draco replied and Harry blushed terribly.

“No, I wasn’t!” 

“You totally were.”

“Shut up, Malfoy”

Draco took his face in his hands and kissed his right cheek, then his forehead, then his nose, then his left cheek, and then his chin. Harry had always liked that kind of affection, the blond boy supposed that it was because he lacked it before he started to live at Grimmauld’s Place.

“It’s okay, Potter. If I think about it, I’m kind of jealous of your redhead princess too.” 

‘Kind of’ Yeah, sure. If Draco thought about the She-weasel, he wanted to jump off into the frozen lake again, just for the images in his head alone. His thoughts were interrupted by Harry kissing him again. 

“Stop calling her that.” Draco opened his mouth to complain but Harry continued talking. “We are not getting married and having kids. Much less now that I know I can get pregnant.”

Something shorted out in Draco’s brain when he heard that.

“What?”

“Well, yeah. I would like to carry my kids. I never thought that it was possible but it is so...”

“So you want to get pregnant.” Draco started plainly.

“Yes... And have lots of children. Five. Remember that we talked about this?”

Draco nodded absently as a really silly image appeared in his mind: Potter pregnant, all glowing and beautiful. And that image was replaced by another one: Harry with a little copy of himself in his arms, and a little blond princess running around him... And that would be just the beginning because he wanted five. The blond boy couldn’t help but to hope to be the lucky bastard who got to be the father of those perfect little human beings. 

‘MAYBE WE COULD GET HIM PREGNANT NOW AND THAT WAY HE WOULD LOVE US.’ The daffodils yelled at him. They always needed to say nonsense, didn’t they? 

“That sounds nice.” The blond boy said to the green-eyed standing right in front of him. Something flashed through Potter’s eyes, something that he couldn’t quite place. “Are you alright?” 

Harry just offered a kind smile and planted a chaste kiss on his lips.

“Yes, I’m just glad that we are not fighting anymore.”

The flowers roared in triumph as the boy wrapped his arms around him. Draco couldn’t help to smell his hair as he hugged him back. Yes, he was glad that they weren’t fighting anymore too. As they hugged, the image of a very large and loud family kept appearing in his mind, a family that he was part of and that made Harry smile proudly... He wanted all of it. The flowers agreed and Draco couldn’t shake the feeling that maybe it was possible.


	14. The letter.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi!! Still with my midterms but since I could write this I’ll leave it here. I’m very nervous about this chapter so please please please let me know what you though of it🙏🏻 I love to read the theories and everything✨
> 
> Ps. I’ve checked but sorry if you find errors in this one.

It was a very normal dinner when they had an epiphany about Death’s request, well... actually Padfoot had it but it still counted.

“It could be the Hallows, I mean we have one of them-“ His godfather started to say and his dad sighed with exasperation.

“Not this again.”

“What?” Draco asked curious took a sip from his glass.

“It’s nothing, Sirius always had this stupid idea that the invisibility cloak is the invisibility cloak-“

“The one from the Tale of the Three Brothers?” Ron asked excitedly, his face matching Malfoy’s. And, once again, Hermione and Harry didn’t have the slightest clue about what the rest of them were talking about. Being muggle-raised sucked.

“Where have I read that before...?” Hermione asked, a frown on her face.

“Dumbledore left you a copy of The Tales of Beedle the Bard. It’s from that book.” Draco answered calmly. 

Oh, great, so Harry was the only one who didn’t have a clue about what was going on. 

“It totally makes sense! Harry, your cloak, the charm never fades... even the best ones get old and don’t work as well as they did when they were bought. Since when has the cloak been in your family, Mr. Potter?” His dad squinted his eyes, trying to calculate. 

“That I know of... I guess that my great- grandfather had it and passed it on.” 

Draco widened his eyes, an amused smile appearing on his face. Harry loved to see him like this, so in his element. So focused to achieve his goals and so happy when he discovered something useful. Sometimes he had to think about something else in the meetings, because if he paid attention to Malfoy... He started to get this itchy feeling on his lips, wanting to snog the hell out of the boy right in front of everyone.

“Okay, so let’s assume we have the cloak... What else do we have? She said it was two things.” Draco said as he stood up and leaned against the table. He never could be still when he was figuring out something, he always was moving, walking, jumping in his place, his feet’s were always alert, ready to do whatever it was needed at the time. It was one of the things that Harry liked best about the boy.

“If the hallows exist, I want the Elder wand. Imagine having that, we would win for sure.” Ron said, a wishful tiñe in his voice.

“I’m not on board with being murdered for power, thanks. Been there, done that.” Replies his dad, making Sirius’ and Draco’s laughter echoed in the kitchen.

“I think I would want the stone... Jamie is here with me, but Regulus isn’t... It would be nice to tell him that I destroyed the horcrux he stole.”

Okay, Harry was really not understanding anything. He turned to look at Hermione and her face of confusion told him that she didn’t had a clue either. Maybe the name of the tale was familiar but if Hermione Jean Granger wasn’t participating in a conversation, then she most definitely didn’t understand what they were talking about. 

Then, Draco widened his eyes and covered his mouth with his hand in astonishment. 

“What...?” Harry dared to ask.

“The stone... We don’t have the wand, no one tried to look for it so we don’t have it, but the stone.”

“I think we would know if we had the resurrection stone, little cousin.”

“Would we?” The blond boy had the smug smile that he loved so much and Harry wanted to slam his own face against the nearest surface just to try to get his brain to work properly again. “What did Dumbledore left you three?”

They all answered, a little tired of going over again the same thing that had been buggering them since August: trying to understand what the fuck did Professor Dumbledore wanted with his will. They only figured out the sword so far.

“Why would he leave you his personal copy of The Tales of Beedle the Bard if it didn’t mean anything. Why the snitch?”

“I don’t know, Malfoy. That’s kind of the point. Scrimgeour said that the snitch would open when I’d hold it because it remembers their first touch, but I grabbed it and nothing happened...” 

And Draco literally started to laugh saying that they have been so stupid all this fucking time. At this point, Everyone was watching him like he lost his mind (which was possible, Malfoy had been through enough, he wouldn’t blame him for losing it).

“Potter, work with me a little. Think about your first match.”

Harry frowned. He remembered loving every second of it... Except when Quirrel started to curse his broom. He could recall being so obstinate, making every single thing to catch the snitch, even as a first year, even if it was his first match. He remembered reaching out, so close to touching it with his fingers when... Holy shit. He widened his eyes and looked at Malfoy who was grinning like a mad man.

“I didn’t catch the snitch with my hand...” I said, realizing what he meant this whole time.

“You nearly swallowed the thing. I wanted to punch you in the face for that one.” He replied happily and Harry couldn’t help to look at him fondly. 

Did Draco think back then that he was cute too? After their fight he had confessed that he found Harry the most attractive bloke in school and, when he heard it, his heart almost came out of his chest. 

Take that Nott, he notices me and he likes me the most... At least physically.

What was a little disappointing, was the fact that what Draco thought about how he looked like had nothing to do with his feelings. Harry was glad that the boy found him attractive but, at the end of the day, he wanted for the blond boy to choose him first in every sense... which was not happening. 

On Valentine’s Day, he tried to ask Malfoy out on a date. Not that they could go anywhere but his father said that him and Padfoot were having a romantic dinner, so the four of them needed to find another thing to do. Call him naive if you want, but Harry supposed that Ron would want to spend it with Mione alone, that left him and Draco to have a nice time for themselves in his room... And he started to plan it all: which album of Queen they were going to dance to, what would they eat in his room, at what point he was going to kiss him, and just imagining the smell of the daffodils filling his room was enough to put a goofy smile on his face. When Harry suggested to cook some pizza and take it upstairs, he was not pleasantly surprised to find out that Draco had actually planned an evening that included the four of them. At least they got to spend the night together, that was something, right?

“Potter.” Draco said, snapping his fingers in front of his eyes. He blinked repeatedly, as he came back from his thoughts. “Go fetch that Snitch.” He commanded and the green-eyed boy complied.

It turned out that a message appeared if Harry put the snitch in his mouth ‘I open at the close’. Nobody seemed to understand it, Ron only said that he was getting quite tired with Dumbledore’s Riddles. He couldn’t blame him, really. 

“So you think that the stone is there, Kid?”

“Yes. Although we can’t do anything until it opens...But at least we know what’s going on... kind of.”

And after they started to assume that the Hallows were real, that one vision that he had about Voldemort torturing Gregorovitch for a wand that he could not find... It was finally starting to make sense. At least, now, Draco and Mione couldn’t be mad at him for letting him into his mind, because they had advantage, they knew what to expect when they would come across him again... Maybe he would carry the Elder Wand with him.

—————————

He was kissing Draco lazily that morning, he loved to do that. He loved to feel like the mornings were an extension from his dreams, this reality where he got to wake up with the blond boy’s arms around him. For a few minutes, he could pretend that this was permanent, that this was the way that he was going to wake up for the rest of his life. 

The thing was that Harry had started to have hope, for a multitude of reasons. One being the smile that Draco offered him on these very same mornings, so truthful and warm. Another one being that confession about him being the highest rated boy in the list (yes, he was pretty proud of that). And, on top of everything, they were acting a lot like a couple lately... they would hug more, or kiss more, or hold hands a lot... Ron always had this annoyed expression on his face whenever he saw them together. Harry was aware that he was doing something wrong with Malfoy, he could live without the redhead wearing a scowl constantly on his face.

Draco separated their lips a little bit, just enough so he could talk. 

“We should get up, training starts in like half-hour and we haven’t eaten yet.” Harry groaned and kissed him again, biting his bottom lip playfully.

“Or... We could stay here and skip breakfast.” Because, really, he could live without it and this was a much more entertaining thing.

“You can’t skip meals, Potter. We talked about this.”

This was another reason why he was getting hope, Draco was dying he had his own problems, and still, he found time to take care of Harry... To talk about the importance of a good nutrition and to come and spend the night with him whenever he realized that it was almost midnight and Harry wasn’t even attempting to get into his bed. Sleeping was overrated if you asked him, he spent six years of his life sleeping four hours each night and he was doing pretty well. Malfoy didn’t agree with him, though. 

“You are such a killjoy.”

“Yes, now get up.”

The day passed by pretty smoothly. There wasn’t anything weird about it, no drama, no tantrums, no Ron and Hermione arguing about stupid stuff, and the more important thing ever: no coughs. None. Not even a small one. Harry seemed to be on Felix felicis again given the fact that he was smiling and skipping around the house from the happiness alone. 

That was why it felt like such a punch to the gut to find the parchment on Malfoy’s desk. 

They rarely spent time in Draco’s and Ron’s room. Probably because it was difficult to be alone in a room that was shared. The blond boy was in the shower, Ron was downstairs with Mione (he couldn’t go and interrupt them) and he was bored. He actually went into Draco’s room because he couldn’t find one of the vinyls, and since the blond boy tended to hoard as much of them as he could... He guessed that he could go and have a look around.

Now, Harry was regretting to ever had entered the room. His eyes were fixed on the parchment, Malfoy’s beautiful letter displayed on it. He didn’t even read the letter, he couldn’t. It was wrong wasn’t it? But...

Dear Theo:

There was this little voice in his head telling him to read it. That he could keep the secret. He was already biting his tongue to not tell Draco how he felt, and that was hard enough, he could keep this to himself too, couldn’t he?

No, Harry. This is awful. It’s private, you can’t. Just turn around and go.

The boy was starting to hate the high morals that Gryffindor had instilled in him through the years... But to be fair, he never seemed to apply those morals whenever Malfoy was involved. With trembling hands he took the letter and began to read it.

Dear Theo:

I want to tell you so much that I don’t know where to begin. Let’s star with the most important thing, shall we? 

The Deathly Hollows are real. Remember when we wanted to become the Masters of Death back when we were like five? I can’t believe that it is something actually possible, my prat of a father always made fun of our ‘childish dreams’ but who laughs now, huh? I have a connection to the other side, I can do the old rituals and I have a quest that has been a petition from Death herself.

I can’t help but to wish that you could be here.

His heart started to hurt. It felt like someone was strangling it. He was so naive wasn’t he? 

Harry took a deep breath and resumed his reading, forcing himself to read that same line again.

I can’t help but to wish that you could be here. I know that you would love this, the mystery, the riddles... Even in this very obscure context is unbelievingly fun to try to solve this.

I miss you dearly. We haven’t got to spend any time together this year and I fear that we are not going to... Things are too messed up right now and I don’t have much time left. Potter says that he is going to finish this before June but, honestly, I don’t think that it’s going to happen. 

Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. 

The tears started to escape from his eyes, he moved away the letter, trying to avoid staining it with his tears.

Please tell me that you are being safe...That you are being as cunning and ambitious as ever (well, tell me in a metaphoric sense of the term because this letter in not going anywhere and you can’t respond to it). When the time comes, I hope that you fight with our side. I really really want you to. I don’t know if that still means something to you but I wanted to tell you.

I had a dream last night, about us.

Harry’s heart stopped working for what it seemed to be ages. Last night? Like... The night previous to this beautiful morning where Draco kissed him for almost an hour? Oh... No coughs... at all. Fuck. How fucking naive he was, thinking that maybe he was the cause of Draco being healthy... It was because of Nott, of course. He let out a sob before continuing reading.

We were together at the beach (it looked like the one from Bill’s and Fleur’s cottage because I don’t know any other beach, clearly), you looked at me and smiled, and when I asked you if you were okay, you answered: ‘Yes... I haven’t been for a while...but I guess that I’m okay now.’ Were you really there? I can’t help but wonder if we really met in that dream... It felt so real, I don’t know how to explain it.

Harry couldn’t stop crying. Wishing that they haven’t met there at all. Even if it was a cruel thing to wish... He didn’t want to think that Draco and Nott met in their dreams because they missed each other so much. Not when the blond boy hugged him in his sleep and not when he woke him up with a kiss. 

If it really was you, I’m glad that we got to see each other. At least like this. 

Be safe... and try to laugh. It truly was a vision to see you showing off that beautiful smile of yours. You deserve to be happy.

Draco

He heard the water in the bathroom stop running. Harry left the letter where it was and abandoned the bedroom as fast as he could. He couldn’t go back to his room, Malfoy was probably going to look for him after he got changed. And he was crying his heart out. So bloody pathetic. 

He changed his direction and started to walk down the hallway to knock on the door of the main bedroom. He heard a ‘come in’ so he opened the door and close it behind him once he was inside. He raised his eyes. Padfoot had a book in his hand and his father was resting his head on the man’s lap, both of them looked at him and froze.

“Harry...?” His dad asked with fear in his eyes.

“Can-“ Another sob escaped his mouth. “Can I stay here? I- I just-“

And he was being pulled into a hug. The nicotine smell was invading his nostrils. 

“Muffliato. Please.” He begged, because the idea of Malfoy finding him crying like a little boy in his parent’s arms was embarrassing enough, he didn’t need for it to actually happen. His father complied and gestured for him to sit on the bed with them.

He wanted to scream from the pain. It was so fucking unfair. The tears kept coursing down his cheeks, he had to take off his glasses because it was impossible to see with them anymore, all tarnished from his crying.

“What happened?” Padfoot asked calmly, Harry only shook his head. He didn’t want to tell them. “It’s Draco, isn’t it?” And that only made Harry cry even harder which, he supposed that it confirmed Sirius’ suggestion.  
His father tried to ask what was it that Draco had done but his godfather cut him shortly, saying that Harry would talk if he wanted and when he wanted. 

After a while, he started to get this painful feeling in his chest. The anguish that got settle inside of him was starting to feel like an overwhelming wave that was crushing every single bone in his body. He needed to speak, he needed to talk to someone.

“He writes to him.” He whispered, his voice weak and thin. “I know I shouldn’t have read it, but I did. He thinks that they met in dreams-“ He said chocking as he let out a sobbing sound. “ Draco spent the night with me and he met in dreams with him. Isn’t that so fucking romantic?” 

“Oh, Harry... Hou don’t know what that means for them-“

“He says that he misses him dearly. That he doesn’t believe that I’m going to finish this before June, even though I’m fucking trying.” He cleaned his eyes with the back on his hand. “I know it’s really shitty of me but sometimes I wish that he would choose me. And I know that it’s wrong because it’s going to kill him. I fucking know it, but I want it. I want him to write letters to me, I want him to be with me, I want for him to sleep beside me and  not think about someone else. I want him for myself and I can’t have that so I take whatever it is that he can give me.”

“I know, Prongslet. I totally get it.” Sirius said as he played his his hair, soothing him. His dad was rubbing his back... It felt so good to have them near. He couldn’t imagine what it would be of him going through all of this without them... 

“You know...” His father started to say. “It’s possible to be in love with two people at once.” Oh for fuck’s sake.

“Oh, yeah? Was that what happened to you?” He spat out his response. He knew that it wasn’t fair, much less to his dad and with Padfoot right beside him... But he was just so fucking angry and sad.

“Yes...” His father answered with honesty, Harry could feel the hand of Sirius tense for a second before resuming to run his fingers through his hair. “After school, I kept dating Lily and eventually fell in love. When she got pregnant I asked her to marry me, and then you arrived... There wasn’t a single day where I didn’t love Sirius, though.”

“That’s just sad.” He replied stubbornly. 

“Is it? It gave me you... with your beautiful green eyes and your mother’s sass.” He heard Sirius chuckling so he relaxed. Maybe they really talked about this... Maybe it was okay now. “What I mean is that love is a million different things, you always love people differently, even when you are in love. Maybe it’s not going to happen tomorrow but... what if you turn out to be the one who spends the rest of his life with him? Would it really matter if he had Hanahaki for someone else?” Harry groaned.

“You don’t get it. You just don’t. I want for him to love me like he loves him. I know it’s fucking cruel, alright? But I want for him to love me so desperately that he would get the same squeezing feeling around his heart that I have everytime that I imagine them together. At this point, I’m bloody surprised that I’m not the one with the Hanahaki.” 

“Okay... Prongslet?” Harry looked up. “How about you tell him how you feel?” He was about to respond but Padfoot cut him short. “I know what you are going to say: he doesn’t love me back and yada yada yada, BUT there is this very” And the man child coughs trying to hide the word ‘huge’. 

“Sirius” His dad said in a reprimanding tone.

“What? I was just coughing. Anyway there is this possibility where you are.. you know... wrong.”

“About what? Maybe he has some feelings for me, which I doubt: I was barely mentioned in the letter-“

“Maybe he has THE feelings for you, you bullheaded oblivious very-son-of-your-father Potter.”

“SIRIUS.”

“What, James? They are worse than us! That’s saying something.”

Harry started to get up, cleaning the rest of the tears with his sleeve and putting his glasses on.

“Hey, where are you going?” His father asked as soon as he started to walk to the door.

“Away from you. I don’t need you to give me hope when I know that I’m going to end up heartbroken.”

And he was closing the door behind him when he heard Padfoot yell.

“You know who said the very same thing at Grimmauld??” But whatever he was about to say was interrupted by him slamming the door.

———————-

Later that night, Harry found himself alone in his room and looking at the ceiling. His head was filled with images of Malfoy and Nott together at the beach, smiling to each other...

’Potter says that he is going to finish this before June but, honestly, I don’t think that it’s going to happen.’

The thing was that he really wished to have a shot at being with Draco. That could only happen if they finished this on time and after they destroyed the locket, they were pretty stuck. The only clue that they had was Bellatrix... 

They needed her wand to get to inside of the vault. What could they do? Steal it? They needed to be near her for that... Malfoy Manor was the place were the Death Eaters meeting were being held, he knew that because Draco told him, maybe if they infiltrated that Manor, they could get the wand... Or even her hair, with how much polyjuice Malfoy and Mione had brew in the last months they could do whatever they wanted. 

But if they went inside of the Manor, Draco wasn’t coming with them. Not in a million years. Harry feared how his family would react if they saw him. Sirius and dad weren’t an option either, much to his dismay, someone needed to stay here with the blond boy and take care of him... And even if everything went wrong and he wouldn’t get to come back from this one, they would take care of him and Draco could be with Nott without Harry being in the middle of it all. He could actually let them be happy...

He needed to talk to Hermione and Ron about this. He just hoped that they would agree with him.

Sometimes being the good and selfless Chosen One sucked.


	15. You Take My Breath Away

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello!! OMG, I can’t believe I’m finally posting this chapter ✨ I’m so so nervous but I just wish that you enjoy reading it as much as I did writing it 💕 Let me know what you thought in the comments!
> 
> Ps. I’ve checked but I’m sorry if you find any errors in this one.

Draco knew that running away, bargaining with death, having your best-friend/ex-boyfriend (if he could call Theo that) turn himself into a Death Eater, and being currently hunting horcruxes, could change a person and their perspective of life. That was why his first reaction to him noticing the Golden Trio’s behavior was: maybe I’m just paranoid.

Yeah, right.

They were hiding. They were keeping secrets. They were lying to his face about it, saying that absolutely nothing was going on. Draco was starting to get really pissed off about it.

He was climbing up the stairs when he heard the love quarrel that actually wasn’t one. 

“He has to tell him before that, Mione” Weasley whispered rather loudly. It was weird that the muffliato wasn’t in place, most of the times Ron was the one who reminded everyone about it.

“I’m not talking this with you, Ronald. You heard him loud and clear yesterday.”

Wild guess: they were talking about Potter. It was a pretty heavy assumption because yesterday the two of them almost didn’t talk to Draco nor James and Sirius.

“He is lying. How can you not see it? You’re supposed to be the brightest witch our age!”

“Okay, so you want to risk it then? Go on. Do it yourself. I don’t want that on my conscience.”

The flowers in his lungs started to scratch him. He was just hoping that they weren’t talking about the Hanahaki... There were little things that Granger wasn’t willing to do, and telling Harry the truth about Draco’s condition was one of them. Weasley had held it in for longer than he expected, he guessed that it was only because he couldn’t be a hundred percent sure that Potter loved him back. The only thing that everyone in the house knew for sure was that Potter fancied Draco, and Draco fancied Potter. There was this grey area where Sirius and Mr. Potter looked at him funny whenever he was with Harry and, occasionally, he wondered if actually everyone knew that Potter fancied Draco, and that Draco was hopelessly in love with Potter.

He walked toward Granger’s room and knocked.

“...Yes?” She said.

“Can I come in?” Draco asked gently.

Soon enough, the door was being opened and Weasley was looking at him worriedly. He couldn’t blame him, Draco only was this gentle when something was wrong.

“I’m bored.” He stated in a lame attempt of getting them to stop talking about whatever nonsense they were talking about.

“Well, I’m going to take a shower.” Replied Granger as she grabbed her change of clothes and walked off her room. Weasley followed with her eyes and then turned to look at Draco.

“I’m going to start cockblocking you and Harry if you interrupt me and Mione one more time, ferret.”

“Does it really count as cockbloking if I interrupted when you were sitting two meters away from each other? And fighting?”

“Considering that you and Harry had like five and a half years of fighting as flirting then yes.”

Draco blushed and pulled a face.

“We weren’t flirting.”

“Maybe he wasn’t (which I doubt) but you were.” Weasley said as it was the most obvious thing in the world before asking him to play chess with him. 

———————

Dear Theodore:

You would know if someone were planning to stab you behind your back, right? Because sometimes I feel like this disgrace to Salazar’s name for trusting people too much. I trusted you to choose to run away with me, for instance... Okay, low shot, sorry.

I’m panicking. Potter, Granger and Weasley are acting weird and my flowers are hurting me more than usual, like a warning maybe? And I don’t know what the hell to do. I don’t have a clue about why they are hiding things. I asked James and Sirius about it and the only one who has the same feeling as I have is my cousin. Mr. Potter says that it’s just because we have trust issues. If I’m lucky enough James is right and this is all in my head.

It would be so much help to have you around, you’d wouldn’t be afraid to call this fuckers out in their stupidity. I try not to be afraid to say what I think but I fear that I can’t afford having another fight with Harry after the last one, i coughed enough flowers as it is.

Please be safe and don’t be stupid,

Draco.  
———————————

He was finishing his make up. It felt weird to care for something so banal and shallow in the middle of a war... But it was his first date with Potter in his entire life so sue him for acting as it were the only thing in the world that mattered right now.

When Harry has asked him out the flowers almost tried to jump off his lungs to get to the boy. Their awful timing was something truly remarkable. Potter watched the petals fall from Draco’s mouth and his face darkened. Before he could take back the offer, he responded enthusiastically:

“Yes, I would love to.” With a smile to match his happiness. Potter nodded and smiled right back at him and Draco thought that he was going to pass out from the tickles alone.

Now, as he was finishing applying the soft silver eyeshadow, he begged for the flowers to behave tonight. Coughs made Potter sad and nervous, so they needed to be kept at bay. 

He looked at his reflection, taking in the image. Maybe it was too grey? He thought as he added some glittering white in the inner part of his eyelid, giving him a little more light in his look. As far as he knew, Potter liked when he used make up, he always got nervous and his cheeks turned red. The only logic assumption was that, yes, Harry liked him with make up. 

What he didn’t know was whether if Potter liked his muggle clothes or his posh robes more... Draco always felt more attractive in muggles clothes, though. He guessed that remembering Theodore taking one look at him in muggle’s jeans and pushing him up against the door of the room of requirement to snog his face off had something to do with that. And Theo was a lot of things, but he truly had taste (aesthetically speaking) so Draco was going to trust him on this one.

He took one last look in the mirror. The black jeans hugged his legs leaving little to the imagination... They were Sirius’ actually, they just didn’t fit him anymore so he gave them to Draco as well as a lot of other stuff. The black combat boots were the only ‘not formal’ shoes he had and giving that he was wearing jeans he chose to wear them with the outfit. A tight black T-shirt and his favorite green oversized sweater too. He looked good, he just wished that Potter would think the same.

He left the bedroom and started to walk down to the kitchen. Harry had asked for him to meet him there, and he had absolutely no idea what the boy had in mind to achieve have a date in a house full of people. As he got closer the voices in the kitchen became clearer.

“I’m going to cry, Padfoot! Look at our boy.” Mr. Potter’s voice sounded so fond and sweet.

“Dad stop it!”

“I can’t believe that you actually matched your clothes, Harry. You didn’t even try when you dated Cho or Ginny.” 

The daffodils started to dance when they heard Granger say those words. ’WE ARE SPECIAL. WE ARE SPECIAL. WE ARE SPECIAL.’ He smiled softly and stopped himself from entering just so he could hear a little bit more.

“Do you remember the charms, Prongslet? If at some point you need them and you can’t remember just knock on our door, alright? Better safe than sorry-“ Sirius said and the flowers started to tickling him to death, his face was blushing. Good thing that Potter interrupted him.

“Shut up, Padfoot! As if you don’t remember making me take notes of the whole bloody talk.”

“Hey, don’t forget the silencing charms, mate” Weasley said playfully and Draco decided that Potter was tortured enough for one evening. He turned the knob and entered the kitchen. 

As soon as he crossed the door, his eyes went directly to Potter who was standing right across of the room. He looked gorgeous, his jeans weren’t as baggy as they normally were, maybe someone tried to transfigure them for him. His flannel blue shirt contrasted with his beautiful green eyes. His hair wasn’t fixed, Draco guessed that Harry was aware that he liked it just as the bird’s nest that it was. And lastly but not less important: Potter’s cheap cologne was all over the room, it was the only thing that he was capable of smelling.

Harry was looking at him, frozen in place. The blush in his cheeks was quickly invading his entire face. Weasley pushed him in Draco’s direction, gaining a glare from Potter before the beautiful green eyes locked with his grey ones.

“Yo-You look n-nice, Malfoy.” The stuttering was so cute that the daffodils started to scream to kiss him senseless.  Patience, you stupid flowers.

“Nice? He looks hot!” Weasley said with and indignant tone in his voice, Draco couldn’t help but to chuckle. He saw Granger punching the redhead in the arm and his friend let out a pained noise. “What? I don’t like blokes and even I  see it.”

Potter was getting pretty annoyed with his friend so Draco decided to change the subject.

“You are not that bad yourself, Potty” He said smirking and Harry offered him a gorgeous smile.

The rest of them where whispering like children and Draco contains his urge to snort and tell them to fuck off.

The boy gestured to follow him and they went up the stairs. When he asked why he had suggested to meet in the kitchen, Potter responded that it was actually Sirius’ and Mr. Potter’s request; they had mentioned not being able to help Harry to choose his robes for the Yule ball or to give him dating advise in general, so maybe watching him go (even though they were staying in) to his date was like a symbolic thing for them.

They were standing in the hallway then, right in the middle of it. Harry took out his wand and mumbled an incantation as he pointed it to the ceiling. A wooden trap door manifested itself. Draco frowned.

“It’s the attic. I wanted to go somewhere but we can’t leave... Dad mentioned this to me.” He clarified before waving his wand and making the door open to reveal a wooden set of thin stairs that leaded to said attic. Potter made a playful bow and said: “After you, Sir”

Draco raised his eyebrows with an amused face and started to climb up the stairs, trying to hold on tight to the railing because the bloody thing was too steep. The flowers were dancing so happy that he felt dizzy.

“A true gentleman then.” The blond boy replied as he was four steps higher than the boy. 

“Actually, I just wanted to look at your arse.” He said with that sassy and playful tone that Draco loved so much. He almost chocked with the petals as he snorted.

As soon as he saw it, he gasped. It was beautiful. There were shining color lights hanging above them, the only illumination that the room had... But there were hundreds, at least it seem so, the entire ceiling was covered up with them. 

“Did you do this...?” He asked, his eyes still fixed in the beautiful lights.

“Yeah... Found them up here. Sirius used to be obsessed with Christmas lights... He charmed them to work without electricity, says that it took him about four months.” The boy walked towards where he was and looked up as well. “My grandparents used to hang them around the house for the holidays, Dad told me that they didn’t like them much, but Padfoot was so happy when my Grandmother offered the first time that they started to hang them every year.”

“Euphemia sounds like an angel.” And when he turned to look at him, the boy was smiling warmly and nodding.

The date was wonderful. Harry had prepared a picnic, they ate on the floor with a blanket and cushions that were a whole more prettier than the ones that were at the living room. Draco suspected that the boy had transfigured them himself. 

They ate and talked and laid over the blanket to watch the lights above them. Draco was fascinated with them and Harry apparently was fascinated with Draco, because he could feel his eyes on him... All the time. The flowers couldn’t stop tickling him. 

“Draco.” The green eyed boy called for him.

Something in him shifted. When he turned his head to look at those marvelous green eyes, he was hit with unimaginable want. The Daffodils, him, it was all the same now. Because Potter did this for him. He worked so hard to give Draco this, to show that he cared... Even if it never got to love, how could he keep avoiding this?

“Harry.” He responded, almost like a whisper.

The dark-haired boy ran his fingers through his hair and Draco shivered, closing his eyes.

“I’m so glad that you saved me in fifth year.” Potter said, so honest and kind. Draco could have cried of happiness just from those words alone. The flowers twirled inside of him. “I’m so happy that you are here.” He wanted to kiss him, it felt like it was the only thing in the world that mattered.

“I’m happy to be here too. With you” Draco added softly before leaning, closing the short distance that was between them, and pressing his lips over Harry’s. 

The unbearable need to be with him, to be as close to him as it was physically possible, felt like fire... It felt like a fire that came from deep within him, bright and hot, burning everything in its path... Somehow it felt like the flowers were part of it too, like they were dancing around Draco’s heart, in the middle of the fire and they were enjoying every second of it. 

Everything felt so new... The way that Harry was grabbing his sweater, the noises he made, his gorgeous green eyes reflecting the colorful lights that shone above them... It felt so new, so perfect... And he felt so utterly, irrevocably, in love with this boy... No, this man. Because that was what Harry had become, that was who he was kissing senseless, the man he was in love with: Harry James Potter.

And he couldn’t find it in him to hold back anymore. Maybe the flowers would get even more clingy and needy after this, but who cared? It didn’t matter. It was meaningless compared to Harry. Everything was meaningless compared to him. 

Being so close to him was perfect, it felt like their bodies were made for each other... That their paths were meant to cross, to give them this. Even with all the fights, the banter, their different values and opinions.. 

They were made to learn from each other. They were meant to know the other so well that, even without speaking a kind word for five years, they could still understand each other. They were meant to slowly accept the other, with every flaw and every strength... They were meant to learn how the other smiled, cried and kissed.

And Draco gave Harry a part of his heart with every touch, with every single kiss and praise that he whispered into his ear. He gave him whatever he could, feeling like the luckiest person in the world...

Even with the Hanahaki, even if this was just temporary... He didn’t regret a single thing. 

Later that night, in Potter’s bedroom, after they climbed down the stairs of the attic, still kissing as they smiled, trying not to fall, Draco found himself with Harry sleeping soundly on his chest. The Daffodils were so drugged that he could barely feel them. The smell of Potter was different, mixed with his smell...

As he closed his eyes, the lyrics of the song just appeared in his head. It was weird because he never particularly felt attached to that song... Not like with the others... But he just kept singing it in his head until he fell asleep.

Look into my eyes and you'll see  
I'm the only one  
You've captured my love  
Stolen my heart  
Changed my life  
Every time you make a move  
You destroy my mind  
And the way you touch  
I lose control and shiver deep inside  
You take my breath away

You can reduce me to tears  
With a single sigh  
(Please don't cry anymore)  
Every breath that you take  
Any sound that you make  
Is a whisper in my ear  
I could give up all my life for just one kiss  
I would surely die  
If you dismiss me from your love  
You take my breath away

So please don't go  
Don't leave me here all by myself  
I get ever so lonely from time to time  
I will find you  
Anywhere you go, I'll be right behind you  
Right until the ends of the Earth  
I'll get no sleep till I find you to tell you  
That you just take my breath away

I will find you  
Anywhere you go  
Right until the ends of the Earth  
I'll get no sleep till I find you to  
Tell you when I've found you -  
I love you


	16. Ally.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> THIS IS FINALLY HAPPENING! I’m so happy to be posting this chapter👏🏻 Please let me know what you thought of it! In my head it all made sense but let’s see what you think! I’ll be replying to the comments so feel free to leave me all your gorgeous theories there!! 
> 
> Ps. I’ve checked but I’m sorry if you find any errors in this one.

Harry looked at Draco one last time. The way that his hair rested on the pillow, all messy and shiny in the middle of the darkness of the room. His beautiful stormy eyes were closed. His chest rose with every breath he took in. The smell of the flowers floated around the room...

Fuck, he was going to hate him so much for this... Especially after last night. 

If he focused enough, he could still feel Draco’s hands on his body... He could still taste his skin on his lips, he even could smell his scent on him: Daffodils, sweat, and his posh cologne. 

Harry could replay in his head every single detail about last night, even how his tongue burned from the need to tell him that he loved him. 

He loved Draco so much... that was why he had to leave... He didn’t want to, though. Every fiber in his body was telling him to stay were he was, to not move even an inch further from the blond. Harry was so needy that it made him want to barf sometimes.

Hermione whispered his name, snapping him out of his thoughts, the small bag already in her hand and Ron right behind her.

He sighed and turned to look at the boy again. He wanted to kiss him so bad, he just feared that he was going to wake him up if he did. Leaving was so much harder now... So fucking painful.

He silently prayed that this would not be the last time that they saw each other, that he would come home to him, before turning around to meet his friends. He tried to keep it together but from time to time his eyes started to burn, the tears threatening to come out.

————————

Apparating to a place that neither of them knew or ever saw was risky, at the least. The only information they had were the few details that Draco had told them, and a rough idea about where it was... The blond boy had pointed its location on his map, in a very secluded part of Wiltshire. That was it, that was the only thing they knew. That and that it had twenty bedrooms, two attics, the cellars and white peacocks. 

Nonetheless, they managed to not splinch themselves and die in the process, so yeah, point for them.

“Now how the fuck do we get in?” 

“Eloquent, Ronald.”

The magic surrounding the Manor was as dark as it could be. This place was warded, definetely, and in the worst kind of way. Considering that Draco was the one who helped ward their home while suggesting to add some traps to it, and that the blond boy learned everything he knew about dark magic in this very same place... They couldn’t be as daft as to try to break in.

“We wait, we are fairly far away from the entrance to not be seen and we can use the cloak just in case.”

His best friends just nodded and followed him to hide behind some bushes that were near their apparation point.

“The ferret is going to kill us, you know?” The redhead said with a defeated voice.

“Ron, don’t take this the wrong way, but I really don’t want to talk about Malfoy.”

He couldn’t, because thinking about him only took him to his grey stormy eyes looking at right at him before calling him beautiful, to them being so close that Harry wasn’t sure where did he ended and Draco began. It made him think about all the things he still wanted to live with him, and wouldn’t get to do, it made him want to cry right there and then. And he couldn’t, not now. 

Harry would probably die today, but it was going to be worth it because Ron, Hermione and Draco could finish this. Draco wouldn’t even hesite to cast the killing curse if he had to, if it were Voldemort... Harry wasn’t so sure that he could do that, killing someone.

They waited for a while, the lights were starting to touch the sky, if it got any clearer they would need to snuggle under the cloak. 

They stayed in silence for a while, Hermione kind of sent worried looks his way, and Harry made an effort to ignore them. He wanted to enter the Manor already, just so he could have his mind occupied in something other than imagining Draco waking up and realizing that they left him behind. Or his dad and Padfoot. Fuck.

Harry snaped out of his own thoughts when he heard the crack of apparation right beside them. He covered with the cloak as fast as he could and the three of them with their wands at the ready, they stared at the dark figure standing a few meters away from them.

The man didn’t seem to find anything, looking frantic to his surroundings.

“If you are there: speak. Now.”

It was Nott. Draco’s face appeared in his mind. He could talk to him, maybe they could go back, and fuck the bloody horcrux, he could give this to Malfoy. He could bring them back together again. He could save him. That was why he was doing this after all, wasn’t it?

Hermione grabbed his arm, digging her nails on it. He turned to look at her and she was mouthing ‘No, Harry’. 

The brunette walked right by them, looking around, now more patiently. They couldn’t move, if they did, they would be heard. 

Suddenly, the boy stood right in front of them. Harry knew they were screwed even before Nott pulled the cloak off of them.

“Stupefy.” Ron casted and the brunette fell to the floor.

“Quick thinking.”

“Thanks, Mione.”

—————————-

“Enervate”

Harry casted the spell once they had placed Nott in a hidden part of the forest, warding the place and binding the boy, too.

The brunette opened his eyes, lazily, still lost after being stupified.

“Oh, great.” His voice came out hoarse.

“Start talking, Nott.” Harry said, spitting out his last name.

“Draco” 

Harry put his wand between his eyes.

“Don’t say his name, you fucking coward.” He didn’t deserve it. He had him and he left him. For what? What was so important? Harry would never, one fucking word out of Draco’s mouth, one request, and he would do whatever he asked. That was why he didn’t tell Malfoy this whole thing about them leaving, he knew that if he asked him to stay he would... And now this ungrateful bastard was asking for him, saying his name.

It was Ron who pushed him back and made him lower his wand, glaring at him before answering to the boy.

“He is alive. That’s all you get. How did you know we were there?”

“Luna.” The brunette tried to clear his throat. “I have a two-way mirror on my pocket,you can check if you want, she said that you were close.”

It was Ron who searched for the mirror, suspiciously, his eyes narrowed. He took it and showed it to them. A small pocket mirror, very similar to the one that Hermione used to carry in her purse. His friend opened it and widened his eyes, surprised.

“He is telling the truth, Luna is there.” Nott hissed his response.

“Close it! If it’s open they can hear it over there.” The redhead seemed startled but obliged almost instantly. The brunette sighed in relief. “You have to wait for her to talk to you to use it... There could be people guarding her, she waits until she is alone to send a message.” 

Harry frowned, trying to process the information.

“How did she know?” Hermione spoke clearly.

The corners of Nott’s mouth moved upwards, almost like he was smiling, before shrugging in response.

“I don’t know, it’s Lovegood that we are talking about here. Something about Potter’s aura upsetting the Wrackspurts.”

So they were friends now? Luna was somehow captive at the Manor and talked to Nott  just because?

“I’m going to take a wild guess and say that you need to get inside.”

“We don’t have to tell you anything.” Harry replied harshly.

“Mate, shut the fuck up.” Then, Ron turned to the brunette again. “Can you get us in?”

Nott raised his eyebrow, looking defiantly at them. After a few moments he sighed and muttered a curse.

“Yes, but I have conditions.”

Harry was already raising his wand to cast a stinging jinx on him, but Hermione sent a glare his way.

“Calm down, stop acting like a child.” She said with a severe tone. “Tell us your conditions, Theodore.”

“First: I want more information about Draco. Second: you take Lovegood with you.”

“Why are you so interested in Luna, Nott?” He asked, wary.

“Why the hell do you care, Potter?”

Harry cared because, if Nott had suddenly moved on from Draco, it was going to be a problem. First of all, because if Malfoy died he would cast another Sectumsempra on the brunette, without even feeling sorry about it. And he also cared because it all seemed pretty weird and not in a good way. Like a trap.

“Stop, both of you. It’s like watching a muggle soap-opera.”

“Granger, not to be rude, but I’m not getting the analogy.” Nott replied and Ron chuckled.

“It meansthat you two look like medieval arseholes, fighting over your damsel in distress.”

“Don’t call the ferret that, he could kill you.”

“Draco isn’t here right now, if he were he would have put these two back in their places.”

The brunette snorted and smirked a little.

“Can’t argue with that. Draco has gift.”

Harry was seeing red. He wanted to smack that smug smile right off his stupid face. He didn’t deserve to be thinking of Malfoy in any way, but much less, in that way. Not if he didn’t plan to run away with them. Not if he was planning on abandoning the blond boy again. 

And, now, Harry understood what he was talking about. How it felt to be near him in that way. How sweet and passionate Draco was... And that was just how he was with Harry. The awful pang of jealousy felt like it was digging a hole in his stomach. ‘Imagine how he was with him... All those nights that you watched the map and they were sharing Nott’s bed. Just like he shares yours. Did he whisper that he loved him as he came? Because that is something that he didn’t say to you...’

If Draco was so sweet and passionate with him, imagine how he was with Nott... And this piece of scum was making jokes about it, jokes about the one thing that Harry craved more than anything in his life. He wanted to strangle him. 

“I think your friend is having a stroke over there, Weasley.”

“Keep talking, I dare you.” Harry snarled at him, and the hazel-eyed didn’t even blink.

“What? You want details? Okay, I have plenty. There was this time wher-“ 

But he was cut short by Harry throwing himself on him and knocking him to the ground. He didn’t even got to really hit him because Ron was pulling him back, grabbing him by the shoulders, and Mione helped Nott to sit again.

“Let go of me! I’m going to kill him!” He yelled as he struggled to free himself from Ron’s arms.

“Mate, bloody hell, he is fucking with you, making you mad on purpose.”

“Both of you, stop it. I’m not saying it again. Theodore, we need to get in, that’s all you need to know. Bellatrix is staying there, right?” The boy just nodded. “Help us then, once we are in, we tell you about Draco, okay? And of course we’ll take Luna.”

“Fine. Do you have polyjuice?” Hermione nodded enthusiastically. She had brewed a lot of if with Draco over the summer, following their ‘just in case’ list of potions. “Great, there is a meeting in a few hours,I’ll wait here with you and we’ll choose who are you going to polyjuice. They trust the wards too much, so they are not going to ask a lot of questions.”

“You really thought this through, didn’t you?” Ron asked him a little amused. “What about you? Wouldn’t it be suspicious if you stayed here for so many hours?”

“My father can not really tell if I’m there or not anymore, so no.”

“Why...?” The boy shrugged.

“ He is really old and Bellatrix thought that it would be fun to cast a little cruciatus on him... something had gone wrong and it was his punishment, we all face it eventually. But because of his age...it was worst.”

He seemed so unaffected, a little bored to tell the story, but Harry knew that there was more to it. Draco had told him that Nott was different with pain, that he handled it by not giving it much importance, until it crushed him, just like it had happen in Moaning Myrtle’s bathroom... 

Fuck. Maybe this coward didn’t deserve it but Draco still loved him. And Harry loved Draco, so...

“Release him, Mione.” Harry spoke with a commanding tone.

“He could escape-“

“He is not going to.” Then he turned to look at Nott. “Are you?”

“No, Potter.”

“See?”

———————————

Hermione and Ron were revising her purse, making sure that they hadn’t forgot anything... Not that they could go back and look for it right now but whatever. Harry supposed that it calmed their nerves. Him and Nott were sitting by a tree, they had agreed between the three of them to keep watch of him just in case, although Nott hadn’t made any kind of attempt to escape since they had released him. 

The silence was awkward but Harry guessed that talking would be even more so. Apparently the other boy didn’t think the same.

“Are you together now?” Nott’s voice sounded flat for the most part, maybe if he tried he could catch the little tinge of jealousy that intermingled with his words.

Harry knew that he was asking about him and Draco, it was obvious, but he didn’t know what was he supposed to respond. He never had a talk with the blond boy about what was going to happen to them when Nott appeared in the picture again. It was kind of a given that there wasn’t going to even be a ‘them’ anymore... From time to time, Harry let himself imagine that there was going to be one... Even in secret, even in stolen moments.

“He misses you.” Was the only thing that Harry responded, hoping that it would do. Nott let out a snort.

“I really doubt that, Potter.”

Harry turned around to look at him. Was he stupid or something? Did he not know...? But his thought were interrupted.

A bright silver light appeared to be coming towards them. Every fiber in Harry’s body stiffened. Nott seemed to realize this and tightened his fingers around his wand. Of course he would think that what was coming was a threat... It couldn’t be any more further from the truth. 

The lion ran wildly, approaching them. It was amazing how it reflected the blond boy, his moods... everytime he saw the Patronus, something flipped inside his belly. Suddenly, he was overwhelmed by the unmistakeable need to have Malfoy with him, of kissing him and hugging him, trying to apologize for all of this. 

‘I had to do it, they could take you, they could kill you... I couldn’t allow it.’

The lion stood in front of them, in all its majestic glory. Harry took a deep breath before it began to speak to them. Or, well, yell at them was a more accurate term.

“YOU BLUNDERING IDIOTS” The sound of Draco’s voice echoed in their wards. Ron and Hermione ran to meet the patronus too. “HOW DARE YOU LEAVE ME BEHIND.”

“Oh, shit.” Ron muttered as he held Mione’s hand, looking for comfort. Harry wished to have some kind of comfort himself but the only comfort he had was looking at the silver lion in front of him.

“IT TOOK ME TWO WHOLE HOURS TO BE ABLE TO CONJURE THIS, NOT EVEN WHEN I ALMOST DIED IN DECEMBER DID I HAVE THIS KIND OF STRESS! COME BACK OR I SWEAR TO MERLIN THAT I WILL NEVER SPEAK TO EITHER OF YOU EVER AGAIN.”

Harry felt like his heart was being squeezed to death as he heard those words. 

“Harry...” Hermione called for him but her voice was interrupted by Draco’s again.

“POTTER: YOUR FATHER IS HEART BROKEN AND SIRIUS IS WRECKING THE HOUSE JUST WITH ACCIDENTAL MAGIC. HE ALREADY FACED AZKABAN, HE DOESN’T NEED FOR HIS GODSON TO BE AN ARSEHOLE AND RUNAWAY.” And yes, Harry knew that. “WEASLEY: YOU ARE THE WORST ONE. YOU GAVE ME YOUR WORD AND LIED TO MY FACE. ‘I’M SORRY, FERRET. IT WASN’T MY CALL??’ THEN WHOSE THE FUCK WAS IT? IF IT WAS YOURS GRANGER, I WANT YOU TO KNOW THAT THIS IS NOT LIVING UP TO THE SLYTHERIN-CODE OF FRIENDSHIP.” 

Harry heard Hermione let out a little sob and when he turned around tears were coursing down her cheeks. Actually, it had been Harry the one who had asked to leave the necklace at the mansion. He knew that Ron always carried it with him and Malfoy was very aware of that.

“IF YOU DON’T COME BACK IN LESS THAN TWENTY-FOUR HOURS, YOU CAN ALL FORGET ABOUT MY FRIENDSHIP AND GO FUCK YOURSELVES.” The lion ended up the monologue and faded away.

The uncomfortable silence surrounded them. Harry took a deep breath and tried to calm himself. He needed to reply, and he couldn’t do that if he couldn’t achieve his happiest memory. He turned to Nott and glared at him.

“Don’t even try to talk. If he hears you, he will put two and two together in a matter of seconds.” 

“I think I know one or two things about him, Potter. I don’t want him in the Manor any more than you do.”

The pang of jealousy was unmistakable. Throw it in my face why don’t you.  He turned around and breathed in deeply. He tried to picture the first hug that he got from his father after the department of mysteries, so warm and welcoming... 

“Expecto Patronum.” He casted waving his wand and his stag appeared in front of them. “Find Malfoy and tell him this: I’m sorry, we can’t. Don’t send another Patronus, we were alone right now but it’s dangerous. Please don’t hate us. Dad, Padfoot: I’m sorry too, please be safe.” And he sent the stag away.

—————————

Harry couldn’t fucking believe that he was going to drink the essence of the disgusting rat. He was pretty sure that Nott was doing it on purpose just to torture him. 

He looked at the three passed out death eaters again and pulled a face. They had already stole their clothes and apparently the plan was to leave them here, in the middle of the forest, tied to a tree and wandless. Nott even had suggested to imperious them so they wouldn’t try to escape anywhere... Hermione wasn’t on board, though. Said that if they gave them a very large amount of Sleeping Draught, that they should be on that tree at least until tomorrow.

Ron and Hermione were going to polyjuice as Alecto and Amycus Carrow. Harry thought that it was pretty creepy for them to be ‘siblings’, even if it was temporary, but Nott had chosen the Death Eaters that normally wouldn’t talk as much in meetings or were assigned the lesser tasks.

“Which one are you?” Harry had asked, arching an eyebrow defiantly. Nott snorted as a response.

“What do you think, Potter? I feed the prisoners, and sometimes the dark lord sends me to feed Nagini because he finds it hilarious, the fact that I’m scared shitless of his murderous snake. And at the meetings I just sit there. After what happened last year: I’m a joke.” He said as he was applying the Draught in Amycus mouth. “Not that I’m complaining, being useless means that you don’t get certain privileges that I’m not particularly interested in having.”

“Like what?” Hermione asked looking at him with the over sized clothes that belonged to Alecto.

“You know, killing and torturing.” He said shrugging as he stood up. “Which brings us to a very important subject: you already know the backgrounds of these ones, but let’s go over the way that they behave. The Carrows are normally at Hogwarts but they come for meetings because they like to kiss the Dark Lord’s arse.” When he saw the panic flashing through Ron’s eyes, Nott calmed him down. “He is not going to be there. Most of the times we don’t know where he is, the meetings are basically to check everyone’s business. If they ask you something you respond that the Dark Lord’s plan is going fantastic and that’s it, maybe mention that you casted a cruciatus on a half-blood third year if it gets to that.” He flinched. He was starting to think that things were actually worse at Hogwarts than outside. “Avoid talking, the two of you.” Then, he turned to face Harry. “You, on the other hand... You’ve met Wormtail before, haven’t you? He is afraid of every single fucking thing, don’t look at anyone directly at their eyes. He only acts cocky if the Dark Lord is around because, for some unknown reason, he kind of likes the piece of vermin.”

Harry knew why Voldemort liked him, it was because he handed in their location, back in the first war, and because he was the one who helped him come back after the triwizard tournament. 

“Okay, are you going in first?” Harry asked and Nott shook his head.

“You and me are going in first, the Carrows always go in together and that way we can sense how everything is inside before Weasley and Granger enter.” He saw the brunette cross his arms and take a deep breath. “They are going to catch you. There is no way around it. Try to be as quick as you can, and be near the fireplace, you can apparate safely once you are inside the floo because technically you are not inside the wards. You could be tracked, though... But I don’t have a better idea.”

“What about Luna?” Ron asked quietly and he could see Nott tensing before responding.

“She is not the only one there... You should take Olivander and Griphook too, if you can. I know which spells open the cellars... If Potter comes with me, or one of you two, it could seem like you rescued them without my help. I’m going to receive a Cruciatus but whatever.”

And, suddenly, he understood why Draco was in love with Nott, much to his dismay. He had another type of bravery, the one that Harry lacked, the one that Draco and Hermione also had: you do what you have to do, don’t matter the costs. The only thing that the brunette was trying to avoid was getting himself killed, something that Harry was grateful for because if he died, then Draco would die too. And that wasn’t an option.

After that, they took the polyjuice and used the distance from the forest to the manor to practice the way that these three people normally walked. Nott kept giving Ron and Hermione advise, Harry was the one who nailed his imitation of Pettigrew in the first try because he would never forget the few times that he had met him. 

It kind of bothered him that Nott was pretty fucking funny sometimes. He had not believed Malfoy when he told him that... It sucked, each moment that he saw how the brunette really acted, was a moment were Harry was reminded that he loved someone who didn’t love him back. Not the way he should... And seeing the brunette telling Hermione ‘No, Granger. Walk like you have a broom up your arse, it’s like she is always constipated and wants everyone to know it’ was a pretty honest reminder of why Draco found Nott hilarious; he had the same sense of humor that Padfoot had... And Malfoy always laughed until tears came out of his eyes with Sirius.

“Weasley, even though I suspect that the Carrows have a thing going on, I highly recommend that you don’t look at Granger every two minutes.” Nott said and Ron, wearing the face of this grown up man, blushed terribly and said ‘I wasn’t ‘ in such indignant tone that the only logic explanation was that he actually was. Hermione was the only one to reply.

“Ugh, they are brother and sister” But the brunette shrugged, giving the impression that it wasn’t as crazy, not in their circles. Harry couldn’t help but to pull a face at that.

Once they got to the entrance, Harry took a deep breath. They were supposed to not have a problem to enter at all, but, you know, it all seemed a pretty bad idea overall. The best one that they had but still a bad one. It surprised him that everything was lugubrious to the point where it seemed almost cartoonish.

“Well, let’s try not to die, right?” Ron joked and Hermione punched him in the arm and his friend cried in pain. Harry took another deep breath.

“This is going to work, we are going to be fine.” Was what he replied, trying to calm everyone down, even if he didn’t believe that at all.


	17. The truth.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi! I wanted to clear some things up: now I’m really doing whatever I like with the cannon dates. The battle will still take place in the 2nd of May but this month in the middle is going to be altered and there is a reason for it✨ 
> 
> I hope you like this one! I’ve been really nervous about this moment and presenting some things in this chapter. So let me know what you though, please 🙌🏻💕 
> 
> Ps. As always, I’ve checked but sorry if you find any errors in this one.

“Wormtail.” Lucius Malfoy’s face was horrible. Don’t get him wrong, he hated the prat, but he looked like he had lost his mind and he had to endure physical pain constantly.

Harry just bowed his head sightly, he was unsure about calling him ‘Lucius’ or ‘Malfoy’, so he chose to stay silent.

Narcissa wasn’t better either, she seemed tired, defeated. Most of the people said that Draco looked like his father but, now, looking at Narcissa, he couldn’t help but to notice the resemblance. Their eyes, the ones from the Black family, her aristocratic features, the ones that clashed with her kind eyes and soft lips. All very very Draco.

“Cissy! I think that the cat finally caught this rat’s tongue” Bellatrix said, almost singing the entire thing and skipping her way to where they were. “It would suit you well, if you don’t talk ever again.” Then, her eyes turned to Nott. “Good, you came, they must be hungry.” Something seemed to flash through the boy’s eyes, his posture was unmoved, but something inside of him wasn’t the same. Harry could sense it in his magic.

“It’s been four days, Bellatrix.”

“And that’s why I think they must be hungry!” She replied giggling, it almost made Harry want to throw up right the on the spot.

Ron and Hermione entered, taking their parts to heart, sucking everyone’s arse and asking when would the meeting start because they had ‘important things at Hogwarts to attend to’; when Narcissa asked what things, it was Ron who took the lead claiming that they stopped some liberal group trying to get in contact with someone outside. Harry was rather impressed with him... He tried not to think about the fact that Malfoy would be too.

Nott said that he needed help with the prisoners, given the fact that he had to feed three people (which made Bellatrix sneer just at the idea of calling them people) that had been starving for four days. It was a given that Wormtail would be suggested for the task, considering that no other wanted to come near the cellars, clearly.

So, now, they were at the kitchen. Preparing some eggs, milk and rice. Nott took a little jar in the bottom of the cupboard and opened it, taking out a little bag full of nuts and almonds, and hiding it in his robe pocket.

“I’m sorry if this seems like a waste of time... but you can’t apparate them without them eating first-“ 

“I’m not complaining.” He cut him shortly and the brunette mumbled something that he could not quite understand and grabbed his tray, gesturing with his head for Harry to grab the other.

When they got to the cellars, Harry was taken aback with Luna’s reaction when she saw Nott. Hope in her eyes, kindness, but then, she noticed Wormtail standing beside him, so she lowered her blue eyes. 

Nott whispered the incantations, opening the grid, and made his way in, carefully putting the tray on the floor and Harry did the same, walking like Pettigrew still, because he didn’t know how was this going to work.

“Lovegood.” 

“Hello,” she said as she offered him a smile, her upper lip had dried blood on it. Then her eyes went directly towards the tray, looking at the food. Harry could see that her pupils dilated as she put a hand over her stomach. “I’m not that hungry, thank you.”

The last part she said it while stealing a glance of Harry (or Wormtail). The brunette sighed and turned around to take his tray to where Olivander was.

The man looked almost in the verge of dying, he was beaten up, and much more thin than Harry had ever saw him. 

“Thank you, boy...” The man said with a weak voice as he came closer to the tray that was being laid in front of him.

Nott looked at him, gesturing to take the other tray to Griphook. The Gobblin didn’t look much grateful for the food, he supposed that being starved for four days would take away the kindness of a person. 

Then, the brunette walked towards Luna again.

“You haven’t eaten in days and you are picky about food.” He stated flatly. 

“I’m not picky, I’m sure everything tastes wonderful. I’m just not hungry.” She said it in the kindest way possible. Harry was starting to think that Luna was refusing to eat just to give a little extra food to the others... Apparently he was wrong.

“This is your vegan shit.” The boy hissed as he reached his pocket to take out the bag full of nuts and almonds that he had taken out of the cupboard earlier. Luna hadn’t saw it when she replied.

“It’s veganism and no.”Then she turned to look at Harry. “Mr. Pettigrew you’ve been rather quiet.” 

Something shifted inside of Harry as he looked at her... It always surprised him how utterly kind Luna was. Even with people who treated her badly or weren’t good in general. 

Nott just snorted and extended the bag with the nuts and almonds to her. She widened her eyes and took it from his hands. 

“Eat.” And the girl nodded enthusiastically in agreement.

After some time, with Luna’s mouth full and her paying very little attention to anything besides the food, Nott called her name and pointed in Harry’s direction. “Not his stupid aura now, but definitely him.” 

And Luna’s piercing blue eyes blinked, astonished. She looked at Nott, then at Harry, then back at Nott. She blinked again before a huge smile invaded her face. She crooked her head to the side to look at the brunette. 

“You are a sneaky slytherin, Theodore. It’s the best thing about you.”

And Harry could not miss the blush that appeared in his cheeks, or the way that his body stiffened as he crossed his arms and tried to look away. 

“ Are you fucking kidding me?” Harry couldn’t help to blurt out. The other prisoners were now lifting their eyes from the food to look at him, Olivander specially. “You are in love and happy now? Is that it? What about Malfoy!?” And the brunette widened his eyes, looking frantic.

“Lower your bloody voice.” He hissed. “And what about Draco? You should know how he is better than me.” He spat out, reminding Harry that they still haven’t talked about how he was, because part of the deal was that they needed to be inside the Manor first.

“I know that he’s still sick thanks to you.” He hissed back. “While you are here playing house with Luna!”

Nott’s face frowned deeply. Then, something like terror appeared in his face before he grabbed Harry (well, wormtail) by the arm harshly, hissing madly at him.

“Are you telling me that he still has Hanahaki, you utter piece of shit?”

“Yes.” 

“And you think that it’s me? Still? You are suppose to defeat the Dark Lord and you are so stupid that you can’t even distinguish what’s the truth.” Harry frowned, it seemed like the rant was more for Nott himself than for him. And then Harry was punched in the face. In front of everyone. He grabbed his nose in pain, all bleeding and hurting horribly. The brunette grabbed his wand and pointed it to his face. “Episkey.” And that hurt even worse than the punch itself.

“What was that for?” He asked, his voice strangled from the pain as he still pinched his nose.

“I told Draco that I loved him last year. I assure you, Potter, if it were me, he would have been cured since the stupid Quidditch match.” He spat out and Luna had to go calm Olivander and Griphook from yelling in excitement at the mention of his name. What...? “But it’s not me. It’s never been me. It has always been you, with your stupid glasses, and your stupid hair and scar, with all the things that I had to hear from him since we were eleven. Your bravery, your witty comebacks, how kind you are-“ His voice started to crack and something in Harry’s chest constricted because he was finally getting everything. “And you left him? With the Hanahaki? You are such a fucking arsehole. It’s a mystery what he sees in you.” 

Harry felt like his soul left his body, like he wasn’t even on this plane, he was floating, dizzy, happy... Because, suddenly, every thing made sense. The coughing fits even when Nott wasn’t mentioned, the Quidditch match, Draco’s coughing whenever they talked about Ginny, how sick Malfoy had been after their first kiss until they kissed again, even the fact that Harry loved the smell of Daffodils... It was all because it was for him. All this fucking time...

And even though Nott was looking at him like Harry was the worst scum on earth, he couldn’t help but to smile, despite the terror and fear of them not being capable of going back at all. Draco loved him. Draco had Hanahaki for him. He loved Harry more than anyone in the whole world... 

’That means that last night he...’

It was real. Holy shit. It really meant that what Harry felt when they were together was all real. He wasn’t deluded, he wasn’t imagining things. The way that they touched was special for both of them, probably Draco had been biting his tongue not to blurt out that he loved him as much as Harry had been. The most perfect night in his entire life, now it was all true... And he left Draco alone after that...

Oh.

Oh shit.

Everything in his body froze. He really fucked up, didn’t he? Draco could take it as a rejection... He could even think that Harry used him-. No, no he couldn’t let him think that. 

He had to get to him. He had to. If he died here tonight, then Draco would die in June. No. He couldn’t allow it. And now... Now they had a chance. How stupid was he? Padfoot and his dad tried to tell him... The way that they kissed last night... That wasn’t temporary, it never was. He could have it all, he could marry him, he could kiss him every bloody day if he wanted to. Draco could be the father of his children.

“We have to get out of here, I have to tell him, I have to tell him that I love him back.” Harry said, marveled with everything. Even being in those creepy cellars and even with half of his soul trembling in fear at the possibility of not coming back at all.

Pain flashed through Nott’s eyes before he rolled them in exasperation.

“Great. Fucking finally.” His voice sounded bitter. And, suddenly, he was seeing Nott in a whole new light... He couldn’t help but relate to him in some way. Until like ten minutes ago, Harry had thought that he was the one begging for a little bit of love from Draco, and it wasn’t something fun to feel, not at all. He didn’t wish it on anyone.

That was the Gryffindor in Harry talking, though.

The Slytherin in him was actually feeling rather smug. He was stuck in the fact that Draco wanted him, that he always had. He was even a little stuck in the idea of Nott trying to steal Draco away from him once he was cured, just like Harry had intentions of doing, or the idea of them having an affair behind his back... 

He shook his head, trying to shake the thoughts away from it. No. He was going to concentrate in the important stuff: getting out, saving Draco. Those were the only things that mattered now. His jealousy of Nott could wait. 

—————————

Harry gasped as they hit the ground after the apparition. The pain was unbearable. His vision was all blurry. He blinked, trying to clear it, looking at the rest of them, checking that the six of them had apparated to the same place. They were all there, good.

“Luna! Pass me the dittany please! It’s in my purse” Hermione yelled as she held Olivander. He felt Ron trying to help him get up.

“You alright, mate?”

No. Harry wasn’t alright. They had to duel all of them to get out of there. Apparently Hermione said something off, something that caught Bellatrix’s attention and that was that. Everything went to shit. They had left the cellars opened so Luna and the rest would follow them and hide until it was the moment to run to the fireplace. It seemed too easy, Harry had been in a goofy haze because of what Nott told him...

“Draco.” He said with a thin voice. Ron’s blue eyes looked at him with worry.

“...He is not here... Remember, mate?” And Harry shook his head trying to get up. 

“The- The Hanahaki-“ he tried to explain. “Not... Nott. Me. Draco, I need-“ And his words started to fail him as his eyelid became heavy on his eyes. He blinked slowly. 

At least they got the wand and the hair. In the middle of the fight, Hermione was the one who made sure of it. He was too busy ‘dueling Nott’, stealing his wand. They had to make it seem real, otherwise the brunette could have been punished with something worse than a cruciatus... 

Hermione had casted a harsh diffindo on Bellatrix’s stomach, making her bow in pain and then she used that moment to cast an expelliarmus, the wand flying off her hand, and then she casted an stupify without hesitating, not even for one second. Ron covered for her to run, grab the wand, and to cut a short straw of hair off her head as well. Luckily for them, everyone was too busy fighting to actually understand what Hermione was doing. Luna had joined the fight and Harry passed her Pettigrew’s wand to defend herself. He could see the fear in Nott’s eyes when she joined...

Everything happened so fast, Harry was realizing that his face, his features were changing back. Hermione already looked like herself, Lucius Malfoy screaming for the rest of them to catch the mudblood as Ron pushed Olivander and Griphook to the fireplace. Harry grabbed Luna’s hand and ran towards them too. Still firing the spells, trying to be quicker. He casted a Fumos around them as he saw that his hands were really becoming his own. 

“Is that...?” He heard Narcissa’s voice.

They threw themselves in the floo. Some of the snatchers did the same and they felt someone pulling them and tearing them apart through the whole thing. Now they were at the forest, just the six of them. Alive. He couldn’t fucking believe that they were alive.

“Mate, stay awake! Mione!!”

But it was too much effort to stay awake. Draco’s face appeared in his mind and he couldn’t help but to smile a little before closing his eyes.

———————————

When he woke up, he found himself lying in a cot. He had a blanket over him and a small pillow under his head. It took him a few minutes to realize that he was inside the tent that Hermione had safely put in his purse before leaving. 

“Harry!” He heard Ron’s voice filled with relief. “Hermione!! He woke up!” And he pulled a face because the noise was killing him. “How are you feeling?” He asked, but Harry couldn’t focus on that right now.

“Draco.” 

“Harry...?” Hermione’s voice interrupted him. She held her finger in front of his eyes. “How many fingers do you see?” Harry pushed her hand away.

“Three, Mione.” He said as he started to get up. “We have to go back.”

“Where?” Ron asked in confusion.

“To Draco.” He explained. “Nott told him that he loves him last year. Draco is still sick, it’s not him.” And he couldn’t contain the soft smile that appeared in his face. “It’s me. I can’t fucking believe it.” 

Hermione widened her eyes, looking at him, shocked. And, honestly, Harry felt the same way.

“OH THANKS TO MERLIN, YOU OBLIVIOUS IDIOT.” Ron said and then yelled to someone that wasn’t there with them. “LUNA!! PLEASE TELL NOTT THAT HE IS MY FAVORITE PERSON EVER.” Harry blinked, confused. “Until someone had the balls! Honestly. Wait-“ The redhead turned around looking at him with severe eyes. “....You aren’t going to tell us again that you don’t have feeling for him, are you?” 

“No, That was because...” He stopped talking as he started to connect the dots.

“Mate...?”

Fuck. Everything seem to fall into place, of course Ron knew. He had been sending angry looks at Harry since August, especially after they started their whatever thing. Some days before they left, Mione and Ron had sat him down to talk, trying to make him admit that he was in love with Draco, saying that it would hurt him not to know that before having the three of them disappear. Harry had denied every single thing, and asked them to drop the subject entirely. He had thought that his friends were worried about him... It never occurred to him that they were actually worried about Draco.

“You two knew that it was me??” He hissed at them. “And you didn’t tell me?? SINCE WHEN?” He demanded for them to explain. 

Hermione tried to answer but her words died in her mouth, he could se her with her mouth opening and closing. Ron on the other hand...

“Hey! What were we supposed to do, huh? What if you rejected him? I didn’t want to see him hurt-“

“So, you decided to leave him sick for months instead of telling me?? Are you fucking kidding me? I’M IN LOVE WITH HIM, IT’S SO FUCKING OBVIOUS.” 

“WE KNOW, HARRY! WE DIDN’T KNOW THAT YOU KNEW!” Hermione yelled right back at him.

And suddenly Luna joined the conversation too.

“I agree, it was rather obvious.” Then she smiled at Ron. “Theodore says that you aren’t his favorite anything. But he always lies, I wouldn’t listen to him much.”

He started to gather his things and walked out of the tend, he could feel everyone following him.

“Harry, where are you going??” Hermione yelled. “You can’t go back to him. You can’t. We need to get inside the vault first! That was your plan, remember? We talked to Griphook, he said that he could help-“

“Fuck the plan! I’m just going over there for a second and coming back, I can do that-“

“To Draco?  You think that you can go over there, tell him that you love him, the one thing that he wished to hear for seven years and then be like ‘Hey, I actually have to go right now!’. You think he’ll believe you?? Out of nowhere? It’s important that he believes it Harry. It’s so so important because otherwise he could feel it like a betrayal or something out of pity, and the roots could get to the heart. I’m not joking, it’s his life.”

And... when she put it like that it made sense... He was actually unsure that he could tell Draco the truth and still gather in him the strength to leave again. No... He wanted to kiss him until his head felt dizzy, he wanted to lock himself in the bedroom with him and stay there, memorizing every part of Draco’s body and to repeat again and again that he loved him so much, that he was perfect. 

Harry took a deep breath and turned around to see the three of them standing there, worrisome in their eyes.

“Fine... But as soon as we have that, we are going back.” He said, fucking pissed off that he didn’t listened to Padfoot, or his dad. Malfoy could have been cured already.

“That’s fine with me, mate.”

“Yes, Harry. But it’s going to take a few days okay? We have to be really careful not to get caught... And we need to rest, all of us.”

Harry nodded, internally cursing because it fucking sucked. But the had no choice, he still needed to defeat Voldemort, much to his dismay. Sometimes he really wished that his major concern would be normal stuff... Like what was he going to study for example. But no, his concerns actually were: ‘the love of my life could die and it’s my fault’ and ‘there is a blood supremacist that’s been trying to kill me since I was born and now I have to get all the horcruxes and kill him’. Fuck his life.

“Come back inside, Harry. Hermione made soup.” Luna said kindly and he sighed before following her.

He didn’t know if he should ask... He didn’t know if it was his place but he wanted to know if it had worked.

“Is Nott alright? Did they blamed him for us getting in?”

Luna shook her head gently and turned to look at him again.

“No, I’m sure he was punished but that was expected. He could talk normally, so I guess he is alright.” Then she chuckled a little. “He is really mad that you took his wand, It was smart, though. It made them think that he was really fighting you, but now he is wandless and he called you a few names.” Harry snorted.

“Yeah, I can imagine which ones.”

A fond smile appeared in Luna’s face as she skipped towards the tent again. Harry was very confused and amused at the same time.


	18. Safe house.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello!! So here it is! I hope you like it, we are so near to the battle that I’m internally screaming. Please let me know what you thought!! 💕💕 I love to read your comments, they always make my day a little bit better 😊✨
> 
> Ps. I’ve checked but sorry if you find any errors in this one

He slowly opened his eyes, very aware of the fact that he was alone in Harry’s bed... The memories of the night before flashed through his mind and he couldn’t help but to smile as he turned and buried his nose in the pillow, enjoying the smell of Potter’s cologne. Where was he?

Draco got off the bed and grabbed the night-robe that was on the chair right beside him. 

Everything seemed pretty quiet, if Harry had woken up early, normally, he could hear him preparing breakfast downstairs, just because he was bored. But no, nothing. 

He started to climb down the stairs, and, with every step he took, Draco was feeling more and more nervous. The flowers weren’t hurting him because they were still too happy from last night, but they were alert and that wasn’t a good thing. When the blond boy opened the door of the kitchen, and didn’t find any sign of Potter, he turned around and ran upstairs.

He opened the door of his bedroom, quietly, just in case that Ron was actually still sleeping and he was just being a paranoid arsehole, jumping to conclusions. The room was desolated, Weasley’s backpack wasn’t on the corner were it always was, and when Draco opened their wardrobe he was not shocked to find that most of his friend’s clothes were gone. 

“No no no no no no no.” He mumbled repeatedly as he crossed the hallway to open Granger’s room without knocking. 

Clean. Perfectly well made bed, the muggle photographs that she had in her nightstand weren’t there and, just like Ron, most of her clothes weren’t there either.

Gryffindor back-stabbing traitors. No, he wasn’t going to allow this. 

He walked to his room again, the house still in silence, and took the map from under his bed. If they were at Grimmauld again he was going to kill them. 

And he tried the spell.

And he tried it again.

And again

And again.

And again.

The blood wasn’t moving. It attempted to, it circled but it settled right in the same spot still. 

Why isn’t it working?

The flowers were scratching him now, like the drugged haze had finally faded away, and it made him very aware that something was definitely wrong. Like the kind of wrong that he couldn’t fix.

He tried the spell again and the blood still marked the same spot. But they aren’t here, are they?

“Oh no, weasel. Tell me you didn’t.” Draco pleaded as he reached over to the little drawer in the redhead’s nightstand. The place where he kept the pictures of his family and the little rock that Granger had found in the garden one day, claiming that it had a shape of a heart before leaving it on the grass again, the one that Ron secretly put in his pocket afterwards. Everything that was important to him was kept in that drawer... Now it was empty, except for one thing.

The coughing fit started as soon as he saw it. Fucking weasel, bloody excuse of a best friend, lying to his fucking face, leaving the necklace and leaving him here. The tears started to course down his cheeks, his lungs were burning worst than ever. 

He saw a little note taped, almost hidden in the back of the drawer. Desperately, he reached over to take it in his hands. Maybe it was an address, maybe he had tricked the other two stupid parts of the Golden Trio.

He felt like his heart was shattering in a million pieces. 

I’m sorry, Ferret. It wasn’t my call.

He let out a cry of pain as he felt the flowers tearing him up inside. His throat was raw from the screaming as he just kept on coughing and crying. Petal after petal, the pain didn’t stop. Not even a bit, nothing.

The daffodils kept on screaming at him, making things worse, they always made everything fucking worse.

‘HE LEFT US, HE DOESN’T WANT US. HE LEFT US, HE DOESN’T WANT US. HE LEFT US, HE DOESN’T WANT US. HE LEFT US, HE DOESN’T WANT US.’ 

And if that thought alone wasn’t enough for Draco to choke, it was replaced by something much more painful: the truth.

‘HE DOESN’T LOVE US BACK, HE DOESN’T CARE.’

Suffocation. Unstoppable suffocation.

He heard someone running down the hallway, the door being slammed open.

“KID! SIRIUS! COME NOW-“

But Mr. Potter was cut short by Draco coughing even louder, wheezing as the little air entered to be expelled from his lungs as soon as possible. The raw pain in the middle of the chest was something that he felt kind of familiar with... But not quite like this. Never like this.

“HARRY!!” James cried for help and that only made things worse. Because Potter was not coming. Potter had actually abandoned him and left with his true friends. Potter had finally come to terms with him being a fucking liability on the battle field. The same boy that the night before had kissed him before whispering that Draco was perfect. 

The unbearable need to expulse the Daffodil took over. He started to force his own coughs, it was like he was finally controlling some of this awful feeling. It sounded horrible, though.

“CAN SOMEONE IN THIS HOUSE COME HERE?? Kid, you are going to be fine, I swear-“

“Harry isn’t here.” Sirius worried voice echoed in the room. He coughed even harder. “Oh, Circe. James! Harry isn’t here” He repeated as he threw himself to the floor and started to hug Draco tightly.

“Little cousin. Listen to me.” His voice was interrupted by the first entire Daffodil coming out from his mouth, all covered in scarlet blood. Yes, the first one, because the chest crushing pain wasn’t going away, which meant that there were more coming. “Oh for Merlin. THAT’S AN ENTIRE DAFFODIL JAMES!-“

“Sirius, you are not helping.”

“Oh, really?” And Draco felt his cousin taking his face in his hands, forcing him to look up, even though the has still coughing and the drops of blood were staining his hands. “Draco: Harry is in love with you. Do you hear me? He’s been in love with you for a long time, he said so. James, tell him.”

“Yes, kid... He would kill us for telling you, but he is.”

And Draco forced himself to cough the second daffodil, all disgustingly red and burning its way up his throat. And once the fucking flower was out, he raised his eyes and hissed.

“Don’t fucking lie to me .” He cleaned his mouth with the back of his hand, still crying. “He left me here! I’m going to strangle him.”

And, suddenly, with Draco coughing a little more softly, no longer in immediate danger, James and Sirius were slapped in the face with the situation. 

Harry had ran away. He left. He took Granger and Weasley with him. Draco felt like the tears in their eyes were even more heart breaking than what Potter did to him.

——————————-

“Pack you bags. We are leaving, kid.”

Draco frowned as he lifted his eyes from his book.

“What?”

“We are going to a safe house. The wards are too weak because you are sick and Sirius level of anxiety keeps his magic out of control. I can’t keep them up for much longer. We are leaving.” 

His voice sounded so determined, there was no place for Draco’s opinion there. None. And they couldn’t leave.

“They are not back yet!” He said and that made the daffodils hurt him because it was like he kept reminding them that Potter was not here. He coughed a few times before speaking again. “Your son isn’t back yet.”

“I am fully aware. Pack your bags.”

“NO.” 

And the door of his bedroom was opened again, this time Sirius entering the room. It was kind of weird because he could feel him... his magic. Normally he felt everyone’s magic, but in this case? It was like something that burned him, that made him nervous. Mr. Potter said that the more you live with it, the less you feel it.

“Is everything alright?” 

“No. It’s not! “ Draco told his cousin, his voice was desperate, trying to find some kind of support. “I’m not going anywhere. They said not to send anything, if we leave then they are not going to be able to find us.”

Mr. Potter was looking at him, Draco could see the purple circles around his brown eyes, the bags under them, and he could notice that he was tired beyong measure... But they couldn't leave. He loved Sirius and James with his entire heart but if this was a choice between them and Potter... It was always going to be Potter. Even if the arsehole left him to rot in this house and had no intention whatsoever in coming back. Even then.

Sirius walked passing by Mr. Potter, and he touched his arm in a very gentle way as he did. He continued walking until he was beside Draco's bed. He sighed and then spoke, his voice cracking in the middle.

"Little cousin, if they want to find us they can. I know that, James knows that and you  defenitely know that. We can't send a Patronus, but they can, they just are choosing not to." 

Yeah, that or they actually were in danger, hurt, kidnap or worse... But neither Draco or them had intentions of bringing that up. The flowers were already constant reminder of how worried he was and how unwanted he felt. So fucking lonely and angry... and still, here he was, trying to convince them to stay, hoping to hear the crack of apparation and Potter's voice again.

“Can’t we wait another day...? Please.” Draco begged Sirius with the puppy eyes that usually worked on him. Out of the two of them, Sirius was the most permissive and soft. James was much more ‘If you live under my roof you are going to follow my rules’ but given that he looked like a twenty-two year old... well, it looked rather comical for him to be setting rules and shit. But he still did, like right now.

“Jamie, could you leave us alone for a minute?” He asked kindly, looking at the man behind him.

“No, Padfoot. You are going to cave! I can see it in those stupidly gorgeous eyes of yours.”

But Sirius just held his gaze, the corner of his lips moving sightly upwards, and Mr. Potter huffed before excusing himself out of the room. 

It was rather cute, how utterly whipped James was. He always thought that it would be Sirius, the one who gave him all... But after living with them for so much time he realized that if his cousin asked for something, then Mr. Potter would just do it. He enjoyed spoiling Sirius. Draco saw himself in Mr. Potter sometimes, doing things just to make Harry happy. 

’Look how that turned out.’

He couldn’t help to cough a little and Sirius turned to look at him again, this time something that resembled pity appeared in his eyes. Draco hated pity.

“We really have to leave. Someone offered us a safe place and we have to take it-“

“Who?” Draco asked as he played with the pages of his book, just to occupy his hands in something other than this horrible conversation, in something other than the constant taste of blood in his mouth.

“Remus.” Sirius answered.

Draco raised his eyebrows and looked up, surprised. They hadn’t seen Remus and Nymphadora since the wedding... Sirius and James had told him that Dora was expecting almost a month after the six of them started to be locked up in the mansion. Apparently she was a couple of months into the pregnancy the last time they had seen them. Harry was desperate to see Remus and Dora, to know that they were okay... and now he wasn’t even here. 

Edward Remus Lupin had been born on the beginning of March and Draco craved to meet him, he just wished that it would have been in other circumstances.

“Sirius... Just one day. Is the only thing I’m asking... Give them one more day and if they are not back yet then I go without saying anything.” His cousin sighed, tired. 

“I’ll see what I can do-“

“Yes! Thank you!” And Draco pulled him into a bone crushing hug. Sirius chuckled a little as he hugged him back.

“You are not the only one who is hurting you know...” He said and made Draco’s heart ache. “ This isn’t easy for him, he is trying to keep us alive because he cares, because he loves us too.” There was a pause, he felt like it lasted forever. “Do you think that he doesn’t want to go after him? He already missed so much of Harry’s life and now-“

“I know.” Draco whispered with his voice cracking. “I just- I wished they hadn’t left.”

Draco hated to talk about this because Sirius would always reply the same way. This time was no different.

“He is too in love with you, it clouds his judgement.” 

And, as always, Draco started to cough, staining his cousin’s shirt with the drops of blood. Sirius stopped talking after that.

——————————

Mr. Potter had to sided apparated both of them. The poor man was getting exhausted and it showed on his face. Draco and Sirius were in no state to apparate by themselves, there was no other choice. 

They apparated in the middle of nowhere. At least, that’s what Draco thought because there was literally nothing except from trees around them. 

“Well, this brings me back.” Sirius said as he grabbed the luggage. Draco couldn’t even carry his own because just walking was exhausting. He felt so bloody weak.  
Mr. Potter offered him his arm as support, saying that the house wasn’t far away but maybe it would be too much for Draco to walk alone. 

The flowers were constantly cutting him. He became used to the disgusting metallic taste in his mouth mixed with the flowery taste. And the lungs, Merlin. Breathing was so fucking difficult, it was a chore, a job, he had to do it and force himself to keep on doing it because otherwise he would die... But it was so painful, so fucking painful. Like, right then, Draco could feel the breeze caressing his face, he could smell the scent of the forest, but when he tried to take a deep breath it would just end in coughing. The flowers missed Potter and Draco felt the same way, he couldn’t even argue with them about it.

It seemed invisible at first, the wards were so perfectly maintained that you couldn’t even imagine were the cabin even was. Mr. Potter and Sirius clearly knew the path by heart, as to how... it was a mystery to Draco. The trees all looked the same to him. 

“Where are we?” 

“Cheshire, in the Delamere forest.” James answered with a kind voice. “We used to come here all the time on summers.”

Draco looked around, it was very pretty although for him it was like being in the middle of nowhere. It looked like all was orange and green with the right light. It was almost noon, the sun rays passed through the treetops and formed a halo over some them. It looked rather beautiful... If Draco weren’t feeling like a walking corpse he would probably take a walk around.

Then, just behind a rather large beech, a small wooden cabin appeared into view. Remus and Nymphadora had adjusted the wards for them so they could get in easily. Still, once they were inside of the wards they found Remus standing in front of the house pointing at them with his wand.

“When did you figured out my secret? What did you tell me when you did?” His voice was controlled and steady. Mr. Potter was the one who answered first.

“Second year, after Halloween. I told you that you were the least scary person I knew, that my mom still had the first place when she was angry.”

Then Remus turned to Sirius, asking him what was the thing that scared him the most, the one thing that he confessed to him at Grimmauld.

“You told me that you were scare of being alone again. After I escaped, you were staying at Grimmauld’s in the guest room with the pink lamp that I hate, we were kind of drunk and you told me that you never wanted to be alone again.”

And finally he turned to Draco. It was rather comical because he was so stressed out and tired and he missed Potter so much that he coughed a few petals right there. 

“Hello, Draco.” Remus said with a smile. “I heard that you didn’t want to come at all.”

The blond boy sighed and pushed Mr. Potter to move forward and enter the house already. He wasn’t in the bloody mood.

Remus yelled, telling Nymphadora that it was safe to come out, and suddenly, Draco was in front of a one-month-old baby. His cousin was there too, helding the little thing, but he couldn’t take his eyes away from Edward.

He was so so little, his hair was light blue, almost turquoise, it was one of the proofs of his metamorphmagus powers. His eyes were dark, but most babies didn’t show their true eye color until they were three months old... 

He let go of James’ arm and began to walk towards little Edward.  
He could hear everyone talking around him, the marauders greeting each other, even Dora joking about the fact that Draco hadn’t said hi to any of them but here he was, enchanted by little Teddy.

Once he was finally in front of him, he said a little quiet ‘Hi’ to Nymphadora and then continued to fix his eyes on the baby.

“Hi, I’m your cousin... I don’t have cool hair like you but we are related.”

Edward blinked, it seemed like he almost understood what Draco had said because his eyes were trying hard to focus in his blond hair. He extended one of his chubby hands towards it with difficulty and Draco bowed his head to let this cute baby touch his hair.

He was too little, he didn’t have a strong grip, he was kind of messing up Draco’s hair and trying to pull it but failing in the process and ending up running his fingers through it instead.

“Teddy seems to like you, little cousin.” Nymphadora said with amusement, he was about to respond when he heard Sirius.

“Hey! Don’t call him that, he is my little cousin, find your own.” He could hear Mr. Potter’s laughter and when he moved away from Edward’s to see them, they were already hugging.

“Ignore him, Tonks! He is just afraid that the kid might like you better-“

“I am not!” Sirius exclaimed.

Nymphadora chuckled before responding.

“He is my little cousin too, stupid! And now, just because you said that, I’m going to call him that all the time.” Sirius gasped and Draco couldn’t help but to laugh. Then, Dora turned around and gestured for them to enter already. “I’m preparing lunch. Honey, would you showed them their bedroom?” And Remus nodded, of course. 

Draco made an effort to take a few steps towards Sirius to pull him into a hug, stealing him from Mr. Potter’s arms.

“Don’t worry, you’re still my favorite.” He said in a low voice and even though Sirius’ eyes shone with happiness, he just flipped his hair and shrugged.

“Of course I am. It isn’t even a competition because if it were: I would totally win.”

Draco laughed again and tightened his arms around his cousin, walking towards the little cabin. He thought that Potter would love to be here... and the flowers started to scratch him again.

‘ WE SHOULDN’T HAVE LEFT.’

And he kind of agreed with them a little.

———————————

At night, Draco laid in the pull out couch in the middle of the living room. The house was quiet and the only sound he could hear was the wind going through the trees, making them move and the animals that chose the night to walk around the forest. That was all he could hear and it was beautiful. The flowers were moving restlessly inside of him. Of course sleeping wasn't an option, these days he could barely get three hour of uninterrupted sleep, they wouldn't let him get more than that. He sometimes felt like they were being ungrateful with Sirius and Mr. Potter... But given the fact that the daffodils were actually Draco, maybe he was the one who was being an ungrateful brat and couldn't admit it.

Draco missed Potter. He actually missed Harry and felt like calling him by his first name did not express how mad he was, or how sad, or even how much he wanted him. 'Potter' was a name that came with so much history, such long years of pining that seemed to never end. Everytime he had let himself think that it was possible, that maybe something was starting to finally come together... Every single hope he had would get crushed. He hated it, he was tired of it. 

But he missed him. He missed him so much that his entires body craved and ached for him. So much that the flowers sometimes would get tired of hurting him, after so much hours doing the same bloody thing... 

And he wanted to tell him, he wanted to tell him everything. About the cabin, about Edward, about Remus and Nymphadora. He wanted to tell him about James and how much of an angel he was, that he left this cabin in his will for Remus, that he had to actually fight with him to take it after all this years... He wanted to tell him everything and he couldn’t because he was not there.

No talks after midnight, no stolen kisses in the middle of the day, no listening to Queen while Potter run his fingers through his hair, and no-

He cursed under his breath at the feelin of the flowers cutting him open, coughing wildly. 

No more nights like the one in the attic.

He moved the covers, freeing himself from them and cursed because of the pain and effort that took standing up by himself. He walked very slowly to the wooden round table in the kitchen and grabbed one of the quills and come parchment that Remus had left there before going to bed. He sat down on the chair, making it creak, look at the blanc parchment and took a deep breath.

It wasn’t the same, but it was something. He missed Potter, he missed him and if he didn’t do something about it soon the flowers were going to kill him.

Dear Harry:


	19. Dear Harry,

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really hope you like this, it took me days and a lot of rewrites but here it is!! Please let me know what you thought! Your theories and reviews always make me smile ✨✨
> 
> Ps. I’ve checked but sorry if you find any errors in this one

Dear Harry,

You can not even begin to imagine how mad I am right now. You may excuse the tears from the letter because everything hurts so much that I can’t help it.

I’m going to confess something because, honestly, I thought that you would have figured out by now but apparently you didn’t. At least I want to think that you didn’t... I don’t like the idea of you knowing it and still leaving me behind. I always thought that you weren’t capable of cruel things, bad thing yes, terrible things, but I never considered you someone cruel... Ever.

So here goes nothing: it’s you. I can almost imagine your green eyes filled with confusion... Let’s clarify it: I have Hanahaki for you, Harry James Potter. I’ve been in love with you for so long that I can not fathom myself not loving you, you fucking twat.

I can’t believe that I’ve said that. I can’t, I’ve never said it. Not really. Everyone kind of guesses... But I’ve finally said it, and to you of all people. I wonder if the reason why this was easy was because I’m writing here and this letter is not going to get anywhere near you... Probably, I don’t know if I have that guts to say it first, I’m just so fucking tired of coughing this damn daffodils.

We are staying at Remus’ and Nymphadora’s. Your father put this cabin on his will for Remus, did you know? I certainly didn’t. It’s lovely here. I’m sleeping on the pull out couch because, even though they offered, there was no way that I would have been spending the nights sleeping next to Sirius and your father. They tried to make a point of them not having sex because there was more important things going on...? Kind of... But I prefer not to take the chances, honestly. These days I barely sleep as it is, imagine me getting up to go to the bathroom and seeing stuff...UGH, NOW THE IMAGE IS MY HEAD.

Anyways...

I didn’t want to leave. I hope you know that. I hope that you know that I would never do that to you. Sirius is right, though. You are choosing not to send shit, you are choosing not to come back and I hate you for it. 

I can hate and love you at the same time, is an ability that I’ve gained over the years thanks to the obnoxious, self-righteous, annoying personality that you have. 

I miss you. The daffodils miss you. Why the fuck did you left me behind? 

With love and hate,

Draco.

Harry, 

I just woke up crying because I dreamed about waking up and not finding you. You know what it’s worse? That It took me a minute to realize that it wasn’t just a nightmare, it was a memory. 

I’m coughing petals right now, the whole living room smells like them, I smell like them. I bet you would love that, you always have a goofy grin when you tell me that I smell like Narcissus. 

Come back, please... I miss you. I miss kissing you,

Draco.

Dear Potter,

The sadness has been replaced by just plain anger. Is there a reason, you ask? Oh, well, yes, there is.

This is the fifth entire daffodil that I’ve coughed up in the last week. I almost want to collect them and make them a bouquet for you to shove right up your arse.

There was a break in at Gringotts and a dragon escaped from the high security vaults. Was that you? Am I being crazy? We all think that it’s a possibility, but then, it’s been almost a whole day and you haven’t sent anything... This is exactly why I can’t believe Sirius nor your father.

They tell me constantly that you love me back. I think that they don’t realize that they are making things worse because the flowers need the fucking proof to calm down and when they don’t get it I just end up having even more coughs than before. I can’t imagine you loving me back and leaving me in my underwear alone in your bloody bed after our first time. I just can’t. Call me old-fashioned but I thought that I was going to kiss you good morning, bring you breakfast to bed and then smile like idiots the whole day... That was the plan and you ruined it. 

Again, sorry for the tears in this stupid letter. I hate how pathetic I am, I hate how weak and unwanted you make me feel when you act like this. Imagine that I’ve thought for a second that yes, you loved me back or you could love me back with a little more time and we could have a future together... I didn’t even want kids and now I think that I might die if I don’t have five of them with your gorgeous eyes. 

That’s what you do: you shift my dreams and values to fit yours and I don’t even find it annoying. Ask for anything, ask me to jump off a bridge, I’ll probably do it. Okay no, maybe that’s the flowers talking. They would, I have a little more self-respect and I like that... You don’t need me kissing your arse, you have enough of that in your life already. 

For Salazar, if it was you, if you are alive, send a patronus. I beg you. Just... if you do that we can go get you and bring you all here with us. There is no room but I’m sure that it’s better than whatever disgusting nomad life you three are living. They didn’t let me send you anything because you asked us not to. I don’t know who is being more stupid, honestly.

I’m not going to tell you that I miss you, I’m beyond angry to do that.

Be safe and send something damn it,

Malfoy.

Potter,

You are missing everything about Edward. I don’t even want to write about him because you should just be here playing with him.

The flowers say hi (they are scratching me as I write this bloody letter), I don’t know why they want to greet you since you are clearly a twat. 

At this point I don’t even know what I want to tell you. I guess that’ll be all.

Malfoy.

Potter,

It’s been almost a week since the break-in and nothing. I’m losing hope, I’m coughing more. I keep repeating your words after the funeral: ‘I’m sorry that he didn’t chose you. He is so fucking wrong about that.’ I never thought that you wouldn’t choose me after I’ve heard those words, at least as a friend, I thought that I always would come first. But no, you always hated Theodore but you are just like him. 

Oh, did that hurt? Good.

Your father and Sirius make me walk for a little while around the forest to ‘get fresh air’, I honestly can not even breathe in any kind of air with out expelling it out in a cough, it’s ridiculous, but at least I do something. Remus puts on his vinyls sometimes, there is not much Queen but I’ve found one of Bowie that Sirius doesn’t have and I listen to that often. 

Dora helps me with Edward... She knows that I want to know him and bond, although now I feel death even nearer and I feel kind of guilty to be forming family bonds just for them to break when I die in two months. 

I know I said I wouldn’t talk to you about the baby but whatever, this letter is not going anywhere, so... I wish you could be here to get to know him, he is the cutest little person that I’ve ever met. He likes my hair, sometimes he runs his chubby fingers through it and then pulls so maybe I have less hair now than I did when we last saw each other.

I’m still mad, I’m still so angry that my veins boil when someone mentions you and Sirius and Remus have this habit of reminding me that you are probably suffering and missing me too. It doesn’t help, it makes it worse, they just don’t get it.

I’m still mad but I miss you so much that I cry myself to sleep most days and then wake up in about two hours to stare at the ceiling and imagine where the fuck you are. Please come back. I can’t bare to be away from you.

Please,

Draco.

Potter, 

Did you have to sleep with me before leaving? Was that really necessary?  
The flowers are going through abstinence, I hope you know that. This is exactly why I didn’t want to take things further. 

And Hanahaki aside, I feel so used that I could kill you. Then I remember what it felt to be so near to you and I just cry. 

Come back. What do you want from me? I’ll do it. I don’t care what it is... Just come back.

Draco.

Harry,

Tell me that it isn’t true. Tell me that Sirius and you’d father are lying and you didn’t fucking abandon me for that damn letter.

First of all: it wasn’t like that. I think it happened, that we met in dreams, but I think it was because of him, not me. He needed my approval about something and I don’t know what it was but that was it. It didn’t meant anything.

Second of all: WHY DIDN’T YOU LOOK FOR THE REST? Of all the letters you read that one, you could have picked up any other and find out the truth but no, you just ignored everything and stayed with the things that hurt you. Wait... was that the night when you said you were feeling tired and didn’t even kiss me goodnight? I knew something was off, why the fuck didn’t I try to get you to tell me, I can’t believe this.

I wasn’t blaming you for not finishing this!! I was happy to have you near and alive, you stupid bastard! Now I’m alone and dying and missing you and I can’t believe that this is all my fault!

Harry, if it’s true that you love me back, if you left because you wanted to give me my happy ending with Theodore, I’m so so so sorry. I can’t imagine that possible but Sirius told me that you were heartbroken and you father didn’t want to admit it but in the end he did. 

Please come back, please come back and tell me the truth, I need to hear it.

I love you more than life itself,

Draco.

Potter, 

For fuck’s sake come home. SEND SOMETHING SO WE CAN GO GET YOU. I’m begging you. I love you. YOU, not Theodore. Please come back, I can’t even breathe, the Daffodils think that this is all my fault and I can’t blame them. 

I fucking hate you for not talking to me. You should have yelled at me, we should have fought and then kiss until we were out of breath. Maybe, that way, you would have stayed. 

Why are you so jealous of Theodore, anyway? Do you care? Do you actually feel how James and Sirius say you feel? 

Can you stop giving me hope if it’s not true? I’m so bloody sick of pining after you, of getting my heart broken in the process. 

And can you please just come home? 

Stop breaking my heart, stop tearing apart my lungs,

Draco.

Dear Harry,

I don’t know how to tell you this over a letter, I hope I will get to tell you in person at some point... Now it’s 1st of May and I’ve still haven’t heard from you. 

I’m just going to say it: we are Edward’s godfathers. Apparently they didn’t want to tell me until you were here but you haven’t even send a flying white dove to let us know you were okay so Remus and Nymphadora told me. They asked me first, of course and I accepted it. I didn’t want to, at first, I’m sure that I’ll die, but since the ceremony wasn’t made, they could change it if something happens. 

I’ve found out this morning because I heard Edward crying and went looking for him. I have trouble walking by myself but I heard him cry for a while and neither Remus or Tonks were getting up to calm him so I made an effort. 

Babies are heavy, did you know? It was a challenge to take him to the kitchen to fix his bottle, I was so bloody scare to drop him but we managed... I think that he helped me, though... I don’t know if it’s possible for two months old babies to do accidental magic but I swear to you: he became lighter in the middle of the trip to the kitchen. I fixed his bottle and gave it to him, I almost felt useful for like thirty minutes before he started to cry again. I didn’t know what he wanted so I started to rock him around and twirling with him. 

James, Sirius, Remus and Dora found me singing ‘Magic Dance’ by David Bowie to him as we danced. Do you know that song? It’s amazing, you should listen to it. Edward was almost laughing at my singing. After that, they couldn’t resist to tell me. I asked why me and they said and I quote: ‘It’s better when couples are the godparents and you are good with him.’ You can imagine the coughing fit I had trying to explain to them that we are not together, that you made that pretty clear... no one listened to me, though.

You would be great with him, Harry. I know you would. Can you please just come home?

I love you, I miss you, I want to kiss you so bad that my lips hurt,

Draco.

He raised his eyes from the letter when he felt someone touch his shoulder, he turned around and it was Nymphadora.

“Teddy wanted to say goodnight to his godfather.” 

Edward stretches out his arms to get to Draco and he couldn’t help but to smile. 

“Of course,” he mumbled as he took him in his arms and blew a little raspberry on his neck making the baby giggle. “Goodnight, Edward. Dream with all things nice.”

“Let’s hope he does that, I could use a night of interrupted sleep. At least a few hours.” His cousin replied with a tired tone before turning to Draco again. “You try to sleep too, little cousin. You need it.” 

He nodded, knowing that he wouldn’t be able to even close his eyes. The flowers were moving restlessly inside of him and not in the same way as always. He had a bad feeling and he hated those.


	20. Lighting has struck.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The only thing that I’ve thought while writing this was that scene from the office:   
> ‘OMG IT’S HAPPENING!! EVERYBODY STAY CALM, Everybody stay calm! What’s the procedure?? STAY FUCKING CALM.’
> 
> Where are here, beautiful people! I can’t thank you enough for following this and reading every chapter! We have the battle ahead of us and the ‘after’ chapters but I feel like this is a very important moment and I wanted to thank you 💕 Let me know what you thought! I didn’t answer the lasts comments but I’m going to answer this ones✨ I loved reading them, they inspired me to write this faster, I assure you😂
> 
> Ps. I’ve checked but sorry if you find any errors in this one!

He felt the cold sweat under his shirt. Early hours, the sun still hidden and they were walking behind Neville through, apparently, the only secret passage that he wasn’t aware of.

Hermione and Ron kept asking things to the boy. He seemed so mature, he had this leader aura around him that made Harry almost not recognize him when he saw him peeking his head behind the portrait in Aberforth’s. 

Harry was quiet for the most part. He just wanted this to be over. 

He had sought the vision. Not that he would ever admit that to Mione or Ron, mind you. But everything was taking time, too much time. It was May already and they needed for this to be over before June. He missed Malfoy. He missed kissing him, he missed touching him, he missed arguing with him...

He hadn’t seen him since the day they left. They tried to go back to the mansion once they had stolen the Cup from the vault, though. You can imagine Harry’s desperation when they found an empty house. It was Hermione who pointed that the house had no damage, it just seemed desolated, most things were gone... like clothes and that stuff (the same things that they had taken when they ran away).

“They probably had to leave, breath Harry.”

Fortunately, he didn’t need to snap at her because Ron took care of it.

“Probably” the redhead hissed. “Do you even care about Malfoy, Mione?? He is dying. If you had let me tell Harry at the wedding, getting separated wouldn’t have been such a big deal or any of the other million times where we had the chance! But no! Now he must be coughing to death somewhere, Merlin only knows where-“

“DO YOU WANT ME TO ADMIT THAT I WAS WRONG, RONALD? FINE! I WAS WRONG, I MADE A MISTAKE-“

“YOU SURE DID! YES!” He spat out viciously. Everything seemed to be ringing in Harry’s ears. So much information. The wedding. Kissing Ginny. Running away. Coming back. Kissing Draco. 

All the times where he had the opportunity to tell him how he felt cane to mind. Now he wasn’t here, now he feared send a Patronus in case they weren’t safe enough to get one. Now it was too fucking late.

“Stop. Stop fighting.” He said with his voice broken. “It’s my fault. It’s my fault that he doesn’t know, that he is still sick.”

And after that, they had to camp in different places every three days. But it was taking time, they brainstormed where the horcrux could be but it was useless. There wasn’t any sure lead to follow. Not like the vault at least. 

So, he had let the walls in his mind drop, for a day, maybe two... They didn’t need to know that. As far as they knew, Harry sucked at occlumency and they were fighting that day so emotions were all over the place... He let him in, he let him see what they were doing for a brief moment and that was it. Voldemort knew and he was so furious that he had accidentally let Harry know where the other horcrux was. Hogwarts. Of course.

So they were infiltrating the castle, 4 A.M and the alarms on Hogsmade had already went off as soon as they apparated. Bless Aberforth, if he hadn’t had hidden them, they would have been taken by now, he just knew it. 

He was too bloody nervous, his thought kept going back to Draco. Neville showed them the way and Harry tried to focus. If they finished this, he could see Draco soon. Before it was too late. 

When they got to the Room Of Requirement they found the entire DA hiding there. They were celebrated as soon as they entered and Harry couldn’t help bet to think that they looked awful. Tired, dirty, beaten and far more skinny than they did last time he saw them. 

“Nott?” Ron asked, surprised.

The brunette came into view, passing by Seamus and Dean.

“Oh, yeah!” Neville exclaims. “He’s been helping us to hide, let us know when the Carrows or Snape are leaving so we can get out.”

Harry blinked. He wasn’t even hiding the dark mark. His sleeve was rolled up and everyone seemed so unaffected by it. Like it was a common thing among them.

“Where is Draco?” Nott hissed at Ron and Harry frowned.

It was stupid. He hadn’t any reason to be jealous anymore... Well, that was a lie. Nott was still an attractive man who was in love with the love of his life, the first friend that the blond boy ever had and Draco still loved him (even though he wasn’t in love). And Harry had learned quick enough that he was the possessive kind. He usually tried to hide it and failed in the process... He definitely did not like the brunette asking for Malfoy as soon as he saw them. 

“Funny story-“ Ron started but Nott cut him short.

“Oh really?” It was Luna who got the brunette to stop with the hissing and the cursing.

“Stop it, Theodore. I’m sure that Draco is fine.” She said patting his shoulder before turning to Harry. “It’s lovely to see you again.”

And that was when Ginny appeared, walking through everyone. Her long red hair was falling over her shoulders, it seemed to light up the room, to be fire it self. He remembered what he liked about her. How he thought she was so beautiful... Now, it felt kind of wrong to even notice it. Last time they saw each other they had kissed and dance in the same day.

“Harry, hi.” She breathed out. She seemed excited to see him and Harry felt a wave of guilt brushing over him because it had been almost a year and he didn’t have Ginny much thought. He was too busy with other things, too in love with someone else.

“Hey...” He responded, hesitant tone in his voice. 

“She hasn’t seen me in ten months and doesn’t even wave my way. I’m her brother-“ He heard Ron whisper with annoyance at Mione behind him. 

“There are a lot like you. Only one Harry.” Seamus said smugly and Harry wished he would just shut the fuck up. He didn’t need for Ginny to get her hopes up, they were broken up.

“Shut up, Seamus.” Ron replied more harshly than he should have. They didn’t know, no one knew about him and Draco. Well, almost no one...

“Lovegood, move.”

He turned to see Nott with a wand on his hand (not his wand because Harry had that one), trying to get pass Luna to hex him probably.

“Do the breathings. I taught you those.”She said with a soft voice that only made Nott more angry.

“No. Move.”

He didn’t get the chance to cast anything because Neville chose that moment to announce that they were here for a mission, something in the school and let Harry explain what it was. He was not surprised about the questions they got.

“So, you don’t know what it is?”

“No.”

“Where is it?”

“Also no.”

All the students were staring at them. Just blinking. 

“We think it would be something small, easy to hide. And that it has something to do with Ravenclaw.”

Nobody answered, there were whispers, brain storming, but no one spoke up. Not until Luna did. She truly was an angel.

“Well... There is Rowena’s Ravenclaw lost diadem.” 

“Oh bloody hell, here we go.” The redhead muttered under his breath. Harry could see the glare that Nott sent his way as soon as he heard him.

“Lost diadem of Ravenclaw...?” She asked, glancing at the rest. “Hasn’t anyone heard of it? It’s quite famous.” Which was a polite way of Luna saying that she thought they were stupid. Harry wasn’t going to point that out, though.

“Yes, Luna but it’s lost. For centuries now. There isn’t a person alive who’ve seen it.” Cho said kindly. 

“We’ve already alerted the Order. They are on their way.”

Harry’s heart flipped in his chest. He didn’t know if Draco would come. He kind of wish he would for selfish reasons but he also wish he wouldn’t to be safe, to not get hurt more than he already was.

Nott hissed in pain as he covered his Dark Mark with his hand. Luna took some steps forward to be near but he shook his head and gestured for her to stay away.

“He is summoning everyone. He must know you are here, Potter.”

“There goes our advantage.” Neville sighed.

“We knew it was going to happen, we set off the alarms in Hogsmade. They must have finished searching.” Hermione replied like it was the most obvious thing in the world. “So we get the Order here and we attack, distract them as we look around the castle for the thing.” She was very careful not to say the word horcrux, Harry noticed.

“They are going to call for everyone, in just minutes. We need a way to hide Potter.” Nott said, his jaw clenched from the pain, his hand still over the mark.

“Robes?” Ginny said.

“What?” 

“Robes, we dress him in uniform, make him march with us, we are too much people for them to recognize him.”

“That is the most dumbest thing I’ve ever heard. What are you going to do when the Order gets here? Announce that they are here too?” He replied with a sarcastic tone and an arched eyebrow. Sometimes he reminded him of Malfoy. Must be the Slytherin way of thinking.

“That would be kind of cool, don’t you think?” Ron said smiling excitedly.

“It was a joke, Weasley.”

“But it sounded like such a brilliant idea, Nott.” 

And soon enough Harry was in Gryffindor robes all over again.

———————————————-  
———————————————-

The voice of Alastor Moody irrupted in their home and Draco woke up like there was a bloody fire. There probably was.

“Lightning has struck. We got a message. It’s time to move. You know what to do.”

The silver ball moved around the house repeating the same thing but when he couldn’t hear anyone waking up, it was Draco who opened Sirius and James door without even knocking and found them cuddling together in their sleep. How precious.

“GET UP! GET THE FUCK UP!”

He yelled and flowers fell off his mouth but what was new, right?

“Kid...? Stop yelling-“ His voice was sleepy still and Draco didn’t have a better idea than removing the covers so they were waken up by being uncomfortable. He wished he hadn’t, though.

“Oh, for Salazar’s sake!” He turned around and covered his eyes. “Put on some clothes. They are in the castle. Moody sent a Patronus.”

“What?” He heard Sirius ask and the sound of clothes moving, at least they were changing.

“Your mess of a son and the rest of the Golden Trio infiltrated Hogwarts. We need to move, the Order has been called to fight.”

Draco still had his eyes closed but he heard Edward starting to cry in the main bedroom and soon enough he also heard Remus and Dora’s voices.

“We are decent.” James said and Draco turned around.

“Finally. Where are my potions? The ones I hate.”

The flowers were cutting him, desperate, twirling in anticipation of seeing Potter once more. 

“Why do you want them?”

“Because I need to be able to fight and I can’t do that if my lungs keep burning like this.”

He heard Edward’s cute little noises behind him. When he turned around Remus was holding the baby and Dora had a worried look on her face.

“You are not going, Draco.” The man said as he bounced the baby in his arms. “We need someone that stays with Teddy and you are not an oficial member of the order-“

Draco started to have a coughing fit right there and then. Taking out his wand in case they tried to keep him in the house against his will. He held his breath, counted to ten, let out the petals that had accumulated in his mouth.

“No. You two, are staying here. You have your son, you have each other.” He stole a glance of Sirius and Mr Potter before continuing, he needed some king of support in this. “Their son is marching off to face a madman that’s been trying to kill him since birth. And you know how I feel about him. Try to make me stay here, I dare you.” He hissed at him. 

And that last warning was for everyone in the damn room, but Sirius and James knew better than to try. They knew he needed Potter. He needed him more than anything and anyone in the world.

Remus started to say that he couldn’t stay either, that he wanted to finish a fight that he had been part of since forever. That it was for Lily too, for Sirius, for James. Nymphadora mentioned her father, her mother, how she didn’t feel comfortable staying behind either and it surprised Draco that neither Sirius not James were pointing out that those were just excuses, and mediocre ones at that.

“You have Edward! I refuse to become his guardian at the age of seventeen because you couldn’t sort out your bloody priorities. Nymphadora gave birth two months ago, she is in no state to fight and maybe neither I am, but I don’t have a kid.” He pointed to James behind him. “We had enough of self-sacrificing parents for a lifetime. You are staying, end of story.”

“Hate to agree, Moony, but Draco is right.” The voice of Sirius was softer than normal because he knew that Remus hated them for this, for throwing Edward ending up an orphan in their faces.

“We are coming back. It’s a promise.” Mr. Potter added, knowing that there was no guaranteed that they would but it was the only thing that seemed to make Dora and Remus a little more at ease.

“Now, go fetch me my potions and give me my godson.” He said reaching out to grab him, a smile in his face even though they were in the middle of a horrifying situation.

Everyone was watching him, most days he didn’t have the strength to lift him but he guessed that his body had too much adrenaline right now. He pulled Edward close to his chest and inhaled his beautiful baby smell before coughing a little bit. 

His hair was blue now, it changed with his mood but Draco never saw him with this one so he couldn’t guess what it meant.

“We’ll see each other after this, okay? I’m going to bring your other godfather home, even if I have to kick him in the arse all the way here.”

Of course Edward didn’t understand a thing. Mr. Potter laughed though. That was good. It was good to laugh even though this could all end very badly. 

He kissed his tiny forehead and gave him to Dora. He saw his big eyes fill with tears and his chubby hands reaching out to Draco again. It broke his heart but he shook his head and left the room to find Remus. He could hear Edward’s ugly crying. That kind of crying that only babies and small children have, heartbreaking, desperate, filled with need.

“Promise me you are staying here.” He pleaded the man, currently packing all the potions that might come in handy for them out there.

“Yes, Draco. I hate this but I’ll stay.” He replied with defeat.

Okay, good. Now he only had to get to Potter.

The flowers started to slam themselves against his lungs.

‘GO FIND HIM. GO FIND HIM. GO FIND HIM. GO FIND HIM. GO FIND HIM. GO FIND HIM.’


	21. Encounter.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I couldn’t resist. This was just waiting to be posted and I really couldn’t resist. I’m so nervous for this, please let me know what you thought!! I’ll be responding everything and you can ask me questions 🥰 We are here, people✨✨✨
> 
> Ps. I’ve checked but sorry if you find any errors in this one.

“This is a bad idea.” He stated as he walked through the hallways towards the Great hall with the rest of the order. “Last year, when the Death Eaters infiltrated the school, they didn’t announce themselves to everyone. Am I the only one who thinks that maybe a less obvious approach would be wise??” He asked turning around, desperately looking for someone who agreed. Most of them ignored him, only one man spoke.

“I think this a flawed plan too.” Kingsley said with a casual tone.

“You aren’t a Gryffindor, are you?” Draco asked raising an eyebrow.

“Ravenclaw.” The man responded with ease.

“That explains it. Hey! Gryffindors: could someone explain to me why are we announcing ourselves before attacking?”

He heard Molly Weasley said something along the lines of ‘this is not the moment or the place for chatting’ and Draco could not imagine a better moment to talk them out of this plan, so yes, it was the moment and the place for chatting. It was Sirius who put an arm around him and answered.

“My my, little cousin, isn’t it obvious? It’s more dramatic this way.”

“Oh good,” He said rolling his eyes. “Let’s get Potter killed but look good in the process.” As soon as he finished the sentence, he coughed and the yellow petals fell from his mouth.

“Don’t worry, kid. He is going to be fine.” Mr. Potter said and Draco couldn’t stop the blush that appeared in his cheeks. It wasn’t necessary to make it obvious to the entire order that Draco cared for the git, was it? He didn’t know how many of them figured out that the Hanahaki was because of Harry, he didn’t want to know how many of them thought that it was pitiful or hilarious.

He was glad that he took every bloody potion to achieve to walk properly alone, that and the adrenaline of seeing Potter again was keeping him moving. 

In front of the doors, waiting for them, he saw two thirds of the Golden Trio. 

“Ferret!” Weasley whispered rather loudly and ran to meet him, Draco raised his wand and the redhead stopped in his place.

“I’m too bloody pissed off. The only reason why I haven’t casted a severing charm on you is because I don’t have the strength-“

“We know that you are angry, Draco. We’re just happy to see you-“ Granger started to explain and the blond boy snorted.

“Oh, you are happy now, aren’t you?” He said and coughed a few times. 

It was Sirius who shut them up and gestured for them to listen. 

He saw Weasley hugging his family. If Draco hadn’t been so pissed off he would have been happy for him. Maybe he was, he just wasn’t going to admit it right now.

The voice of his godfather echoed in the Great hall. Draco’s heart ached because, even if Severus had done terrible things, even if he was a bad person, he still cared for him. He loved him and missed him. Thinking that now he could find himself fighting against him made Draco fear the battle field, not because Severus could hurt him, he doubted that, but because he could hesitate in front of him, he could hesitate to stop him and that was a problem.

Then, everybody gasped and the students voices filled the silence. That had to be Harry, it just had to be. The daffodils twirled inside of him, anticipating seeing him, hearing him. 

“It seems-“ Potter’s voice stated, determined. “-despite your exhaustive defensive strategies-“

“Now!” Mr. Potter commanded and Draco couldn’t help but to think that this had to be the most epic moment in the history of the school, it would be written in books, now he kind of understood what Sirius meant.

The doors opened and they walked into the Great hall, gaining everyone’s stares and surprised faces.

“-,you still have a bit of a security problem, Headmaster. I’m afraid it’s quite extensive.”

The sass. Draco had never been more in love with him in his entire life. He was just seeing the back of Harry in Gryffindor robes and still, it was the most beautiful thing he ever saw. The flowers were so exited that they slammed themselves against his lungs and, again, petals fell from his mouth.

“How dare you stand where he stood?! Tell them how it happened that night! Tell them how you look at him in the eyes, a man who trusted you, and killed him.”

And Severus drew his wand against Potter but he was being pushed aside by McGonagall so fast that it was impressive. She dueled him away, yelling at him ‘Coward’ before the cheering erupted in the Great hall. 

That was when Harry turned around and saw him.

“Draco...”

Every single fiber in his body responded to his name, it was like an Imperious curse was trying to take over him, it was like the Daffodils were tickling him to death, trying for him to get closer.

“A month with out a single Patronus-” He started to hiss, his lungs burning. Draco raised his wand and pointed to him, ready to cast a stinging hex on him. Something that burn, that hurt. 

“I’m sorry! We came back to the house and you weren’t there-“ And Draco turned to shot a deadly look at both James and Sirius. “-we didn’t know if it was safe to send you one! We were being followed, I swear to you I meant to come back sooner, I’ve just-“

But Potter’s rant was interrupted by the disgusting Dark Lord’s message. People were screaming in pain, it was so awful that even the flowers were scared. Scared because they were asking to hand in Harry, scared that he only got to see him for a few seconds before it all went to shit. 

“You have one hour...” The whispering ended and Millicent Bulstrode was already yelling.

“What are you waiting for? Someone grab him!” 

And, oh what a precious and romantic moment: Ginevra stood in front of Potter, protecting him.

’Well, we knew that she was going to wait for Potter. She is his redhead princess after all.’ The toxic voice in his head whispered. It was like it tried to make the daffodils sad and heartbroken so they would end up killing Draco a month early. 

The flowers started to hurt him, he ended up coughing wildly before he could control himself. He cover his mouth with his hand, trying to keep more petals from falling, trying to keep the little dignity he had. 

“Ferret, no. It doesn’t mean-“ Weasley tried to explain but Draco moved away from him.

“Alright, listen up!” He yelled before casting a Sonorus to make sure that everyone heard him. Potter had his green gorgeous eyes on him and it made Draco feel braver than ever, even if he wanted to strangled him, even if Ginevra was holding his hand in front of everyone. Whatever. He moved towards the center of the hall and continued talking. “As you see: we are here to win this. You all have three choices. One: you can run off and hide in your common rooms, step aside and don’t interfere.”

“Ferret, that’s what they are supposed to do!” Weasley started but Draco ignored him.

“Two! You fight against us and help him.” He choked on the petals just at the thought of another student actually trying to take Potter to the Dark Lord. “Or three: you fight with us, for whatever reasons you may have. Now, this part goes to the Slytherins and anyone who’s family is in a dubious place with this... Choose your side wisely. Your father, your mother, your grandparents: they don’t define you. And when everything is over you will be facing your own choices, your own decisions, the ones you made under the influences of others. Ask yourselves if you want to even fight, if you have the guts to be out there and if you don’t: stay the fuck out of our way.” 

He could hear Sirius voice, muttering ‘I’m so proud of him, Jamie’...Draco took a deep breath before saying the most important thing.

“If we win, your involvement in the battle will be crucial. So, again, choose your side wisely. Be cunning, be ambitious, be resourceful and choose something that it’s not going to ruin your entire lives. Most of us know what it is to be sons and daughters of someone who fought for the wrong side, we have been called names since before we could even walk-“ It was Vince who interrupted him.

“Why should we listen to a blood traitor like you?” He spat out and he saw Harry already starting to walk towards him but Draco raised his hand, gesturing him to stop.

“Because, Vince darling, when this is all over, I’m not going to have a trial but you just might.” He directed his voice to the rest of them. “Those who are with us step forward, those who are not fighting go to your common rooms at once, and those who are against us... I don’t care what you do, attempt to take Potter away and I will murder you.”

He stole a glance of Harry and saw that his face was scarlet red. The she-weasel was frowning as he looked at him, something close to surprise flashed through her eyes. Draco couldn’t guess what was so surprising about him defending Potter, she was there at the ministry on fifth year. He rolled his eyes and turned to the students.

As soon as he saw him, he felt relief, finally. Theodore was the first to come forward, bless him. He confirmed everything that Draco knew about him. It sent a shiver down his spine, seeing him again. He had spent all these months so bloody worried and here he was, safe, and leaving everything behind because he knew that it was the right thing to do, because he was brilliant, cunning and brilliant. 

“Draco, it’s good to see you.” He said with a trembling voice and a smile that made his hazel eyes shine, he could see the tears appearing in them but he coudn’t be sure if they were from happiness or sadness. Draco couldn’t help but to run towards him and hug him.

“You bloody prat! I’m so happy that you are alive!”

“Not for much longer but whatever.” He said returning the hug. “Let’s kill the noseless bastard.” He sounded so fearless, he sounded so much like Theo before taking that stupid Mark.

“Couldn’t agree more, darling.” And as soon as he heard her high pitch voice he abandoned Theo’s arms to pull her into a bone crushing hug. Pansy was already crying like an idiot  
And suddenly, they found themselves enveloped in another pair of arms that he recognized as Blaise’s

“I’ve missed you, Dragon.”

And Draco moved his hand to wipe his tears before pushing them all away.

“Oh I miss you all too but how about we get a move on!” 

The majority of the students had already left and the ones who remained weren’t making any attempt to take Harry so the flowers relaxed a little. He turned around to look at the Golden Trio.

“Potter, what do you need?” He asked, waiting for orders.

Those green eyes just kept looking at him. Harry walked towards him, he looked nervous as hell, and to be honest, Draco didn’t think that the chosen one could get nervous once the final battle was here.

“To talk to you.” And, out of the corner of his eye, Draco could see Sirius jumping in his place and shaking Mr. Potter in excitement. 

“Save any explanations you have for after all of this. I’m still furious.”

“I know and this can’t wait.”

The flowers twirled inside of him. Sirius and Mr. Potter’s words echoing in his head, but he didn’t want it to be like this, never like this. He felt someone push him forward to meet the green-eyed boy, when he looked over his shoulder Theo had a sour smile on his face. Draco frowned as he looked at Harry again.

“Save it, Potter. There is a war going on in case you haven’t-“

“I know, just let me-”

“-noticed. We should be preparing the wards, looking for the chamber-“

“For fuck’s sake, Draco-“

“-and getting those stupid fangs. Speaking of that, where is the sword? You took it-“

“I LOVE YOU” And Potter shouted it so loud that it seemed to ring in his ears. Maybe he imagined it, maybe he had started to imagine things. He blamed Sirius and James for giving him this hallucinations.

Harry took more steps forward and grabbed his hand.

“Are you cured?” He asked with hope in his voice, with desperation, and something shattered in Draco’s heart. His lungs started to burn more than ever and all the potions he took were in vain because he was coughing Daffodils again, almost a sea of yellow petals seemed to be getting out of his mouth and the suffocation started not much after that.

His body felt so cold. His eyes were filled with tears from the pain. When he looked up, he saw Her standing a few meters away from him, waving. Her transparent dress seemed to shine with the right light, her long silky black hair fell around her all the way up to her knees. Death took a step foward, Draco coughed even harder.

“KID!” He heard Mr. Potter yelled but he just kept on coughing.

‘IT’S A LIE! HE IS LYING, HE DOESN’T WANT US! SHE CAME TO TAKE US BECAUSE HE DOESN’T WANT US! LIES. HE LIES. IT HURTS. IT HURTS SO MUCH!’ 

Someone told Potter and of course he was trying to save him. Of fucking course. It wasn’t truthful, it wasn’t honest, it wasn’t real. Why couldn’t he have waited until June? Now Draco was leaving a month earlier, with no goodbyes. Alone.

“Draco” He heard Theo’s chocked voice. 

He wanted to say goodbye now but he couldn’t, words weren’t coming out. He just coughed. Again and again and again. Petal after petal. Daffodil after Daffodil. When would it end? When? Because if the amount of Daffodils were proportional to his love for Potter they could be here watching Draco cough forever. 

Pain.

Suffocation.

He looked up again. Weasley’s and Granger’s faces were all messed up, confusion written all over their expressions. Beside them, Death kept looking at Draco.

’Fuck, just take me already. End this suffering.’

He heard Death laugh, soft and beautifully. 

“Oh, child. You are just not listening to him”.She says but only to him, nobody else seemed to hear Her. 

Potter was still frozen beside him. Tears coursing down his cheeks. Maybe he felt guilty for not loving Draco back. Not like he wanted.

“Harry! Do something!!” He heard Granger yell with desperation.

He felt Potter’s smell fill his nostrils and it made everything worse, he could also feel him hugging him, so warm. Draco tried to free him self from the hug but he couldn’t, he just kept coughing as he moved restlessly in Harry’s arms.

“Listen to me, please listen-“ Potter kept whispering in his ear, his voice cracking and trembling with every word. “- I’m in love with you. Do you hear me? I’ve been in love with you since you first set a foot on the Headquarters and hid under the table when Snape got there. Remember that? I was so nervous to have you near and so mad that I didn’t understood what it was, okay? You fought beautifully at the Ministry, I won’t ever forget how you looked.” But Draco couldn’t stop coughing, not even for a second, the flowers just kept on falling from his mouth, he was forcing them out. “Maybe I’ve liked you since forever, I don’t know. I always felt drawn to you in some way or another... But I realized it last year on your birthday, I saw you dancing with Nott, wishing that you would smile at me like that and I knew. It has always meant something for me, okay? Every time I’ve kissed you it has always meant the world and I just kept trying to make you fall in love with me but it was useless because you already were, I was just too blind to see it.And Draco,  It felt like falling. I fell in love with you and it felt like the grounds disappeared under me and I fell. Loving you feels just like ‘Love of my life’. Please believe me, please, please, please-“ And he took Draco’s face in his hands and started to kiss him between the coughs.

It felt like coming home. Kissing him felt like home and the flowers started to settle inside of him. The coughs became smaller and Harry used that moment to separate their mouths.

“I’m in love with you, I want a future with you, I’ll take veritaserum for you to believe me. And fuck this war, you are more important.” He said vehemently and kissed Draco again. 

‘ Loving you feels just like ‘Love of my life’.

The daffodils roared in triumph, twirled inside of him, he could feel how loved they felt, for the first time ever. They kept repeating:

’HE LOVES US, HE LOVES US, HE LOVES US, HE LOVES US, HE LOVES US, HE LOVES US, HE LOVES US-‘

And he felt it. As they kissed with so much love... It wasn’t comparable to anything he ever felt. Neither of them were holding back, not anymore. 

‘ It felt like falling’

He felt it in his heart, like fire that spread from it towards his lungs. Burning everything, burning everything in its path, purifying it. 

It was strange because he still felt something there, and he wanted to cough so badly that he had to push Harry away and put his hands on the floor to balance himself.

“Do you still not believe me? Are you kiddin-“ 

But Draco raised his eyes and shook his head in the middle of the coughing fit, trying to get him to understand that he did believe him, he just needed to get something out. Confusion and pain appeared in in his face and he moved to hug Draco from behind whispering lovely things, about how he loved the smell of the Daffodils, how precious it was that Draco loved him this way, how special he felt, how beautiful Draco was and how kind he was.

Everyone was watching them, in Draco’s head everything took so much time, every single coughing fit did, but If he thought about it, Potter had just said he loved him for the first time like five minutes ago and the proceed to rant everything in lightning speed, trying to make Draco believe him. 

He coughed a few more times and felt the daffodil touching his uvula, making him gag. He couldn’t force it out any more, something was still in his throat and it was attached to the fucking flower. 

He opened his mouth and put his fingers inside of it, trying to reach the bloody thing, gagging again in the process. 

“Ferret, what the fuck are you-“

But Weasley was cut short by Draco pulling the Daffodil out of his mouth. He could feel the stem sliding off his throat as he did, sliding off his tongue, tasting even worse than the flowers. The leaves were as long as the stem, pointy on the end, tickling him as he took them out, he wondered if that was what it tickled in his lungs more than the petals. 

“Oh my god-“ Granger said as Draco pulled out the last part of the plant, the ones that they were so worried about: the roots. 

And there it was, his whole disease, all the Hanahaki contained in a single flower. He took a deep breath, as deep as he could, as deep as he wished for the last two years and it was wonderful.

“Oh thank Salazar...” He whispered and laid his weight in Potter’s arms behind him before turning around and kissing him senseless. “I love you too. So fucking much.” He said between kissed, so honest. For the first time ever he could say it. He could love him without trying to hide it.

He could hear Sirius and James cheering, Pansy yelling ‘fucking finally’, he was pretty sure that Blaise and Ron were crying and Granger was clapping in excitement. 

“This is all very moving but could we prepare ourselves already?” He heard Mad-eye Moody exclaim with annoyance and Draco pushed Harry apart from the kiss, and the green-eyed let out a groan.

“You would think that with me being the ‘chosen one’ I could kiss the love of my life in peace, but no.” 

And for the first time in a really long time Draco didn’t feel the flowers move or tickle, not even in the least. It was marvelous as it was lonely. The only thing that reacted to Harry’s words was his heart, beating like crazy as he said ‘love of my life’.

He took a quick glance to where Death was only to find that there was no one there. She left, just like the flowers.

“They are really gone, you said that and nothing moved or tickled, they are gone for good.”

Harry helped him get up and planted a chaste kiss on his lips.

“Good. Now we can focus on other things.” He said smiling. 

“Like the battle, you mean.” He said with a half amused smile and Potter sighed in exasperation.

“Yes, like this stupid battle. Are you good to fight?” He asked raising an eyebrow.

“Never better. Scared, Potter?” He replied with a smirk.

“You wish.” 

And everyone started to get to their places.


	22. The Battle of Hogwarts (part 1)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi!! Sorry it took so long, this was very difficult but here it is! I hope you all like it!! Let me know what you thought💕 I love reading you comments! I’ll try to respond to all of them! 
> 
> Ps. I’ve checked but sorry if you find any errors in this one!

Harry, Theo and him were running up the stairs. The students were terrified pushing everyone out of their way. Weasley and Granger had taken the shortcut to the second floor bathroom, their mission was to enter the chamber and fetch as much Basilisck fangs as they could. Apparently Potter had the brilliant idea to offer the sword of Gryffindor, the one that Draco almost died trying to get, in exchange of a goblin’s help to get into the vault. Yes, it sounded just as ridiculous when Potter had explained it in the middle of the chaos.

Pansy and Blaise where charged with helping McGonagall setting the wards around the school with the Order of the Phoenix. Granger and Draco were the experts in protecting spells but they clearly had more important things to do, horcrux hunt and all.

“Harry!” Draco heard an agitated voice behind them. But there wasn’t time so the three of them kept running when they got to the first floor’s hallway. Trying to make their way in the sea of students.

“Hey! Stop!!” It was Lovegood. Draco almost didn’t recognized her voice with how loud she was yelling, he thought that he had never heard her yelled in his six years on the castle. “Theodore!”

Theodore yelled back, not even looking at her, he just yelled around the hallway.

“Lovegood, now it’s not the time!”

“THEODORE NOTT, YOU LISTEN TO ME RIGHT NOW.” 

Draco kept on running, he only stopped when he realized that Theo had, in fact, stopped dead in his tracks and turned around to face Luna. He blinked, watching as the brunette walked towards her with his arms over his head in exasperation.

“What?” He heard Theo hiss at her. 

“Oh, yeah...” he heard Potter whisper, hesitant, Draco could see him looking at him out of the corner of his eye. 

Theo kept arguing with Lovegood. She kept pointing to places around the castle, showing directions to the brunette. Draco could only stare at them, while Potter shifted his weight from foot to foot, clearly nervous.

“Do you...?”

His voice sounded almost like a whisper, weak and embarrassed about what he was about to ask.

“Do I what?” Draco said, taking his eyes off Theodore and Luna to look at Harry. When he did, he noticed the worry in his green eyes, worry and something else that he couldn’t quite place.

“Do you still feel something for him?” The last part was almost inaudible, he only heard it because he was really focusing on Potter, trying to listen, trying to understand what was making him so uncomfortable. 

Draco offered a small smile before lifting his chin with his hand to kiss him softly.

Harry returned the kiss almost instantly, it was short, Draco just wanted to calm his nerves, to shut whatever stupid rant was going on inside of his head.

There was longing though. Draco could feel it in Harry’s lips, in the way he kissed him. In the way he grabbed his arm and pulled, trying to get him closer.

When they broke apart, he looked at those gorgeous eyes and spoke as clearly as he could.

“I just coughed out a whole daffodil, roots and all, after you told me ‘I love you’ and you are asking me if I have feelings for Theodore?”

It wasn’t a question, not really, Draco just wanted to point out how ridiculous it sounded, but Harry just looked away, his expression even more conflicted than before.

“What?” Draco asked.

“You are not denying it.” 

Was he joking? Draco didn’t think it was even worth to answer. To make it a ‘thing’, the fact that him and Theo had a very unfair arrangement, he felt bad enough as it was.

“I don’t have feelings for him. Maybe I did, before us, but not anymore.”

Potter didn’t seem to be happier to hear that either, but he nodded and whispered a soft ‘okay’ before leaving Draco standing there. The dark haired boy ran towards Theodore and Luna and joined their conversation. 

Soon enough they found themselves looking for a ghost, hoping that she would have a clue about where the horcrux was.

—————————

“So... Lovegood?” Draco asked, looking at Theodore.

They were keeping guard as Potter talked to Helena Ravenclaw. It needed to be him, she almost dissapeared when she had seen Theo’s mark.

“What about Lovegood?” He replied shortly, still not looking at him.

“I don’t know, Theo. You tell me.” 

“I’m not talking about this with you.” 

“Why not? I’m not mad... It just surprised me-“

“Are you really asking why not?” He hissed at him. His hazel eyes seemed to be on fire and something in Draco’s stomach twisted painfully. He shouldn’t had asked. Fuck “Because it’s you. Because the fact that I’m glad that you are alive and got your happy ending, doesn’t mean that I’m not heartbroken. I made my peace with it. It’s fine. It’s great. Just-“ Theo took a deep breath. “Don’t fucking play matchmaker.” 

And Draco couldn’t resist to put his arms around him as he sighed, defeated.

“Okay. Sorry.” 

He could feel Theodore leaning into it, not quite hugging back, his pride was too big to surrender to the touch, but he wasn’t pushing him away either.

“I know where it is.” Harry’s voice echoed in the hallway. 

Draco quickly stepped away from Theo and turned to look at the green-eyed. 

He tried to say something but Harry just walked passed them. Draco cursed under his breath as he and Theodore followed him.

They should have been high in love. They should have been smiling while the war was going on because finally they were on the same page... Why was Harry acting this way? Like Theodore were something standing between them... When he wasn’t, he never had been. Theo was something else entirely and that was why Draco felt so bad, because the hazel-eyed knew it, he never had asked more from him... 

He took a few steps forward and reached over to take Harry’s hand but he moved away.

“We should hurry.” Potter said without looking at him and Draco didn’t like his tone at all.

—————————

The Room of Requirement was filled with crap. That was Draco’s first thought when he entered it. He had never been in that room. Theodore used to conjure one for them that looked a lot like his room, simpler, cozy. Then, there was that time with his birthday party, when it had looked like a mixture of the gryffindor and the slytherin common room. It had never looked like this, so utterly filled with crap.

Theodore had (in a very obvious way) left Harry and Draco alone so they could talk. Potter didn’t want to, though. And of course he understood, the horcrux was more important. At least he thought that was the reason why Potter didn’t want to talk.

“Do you feel it close?”

“No.” Harry responded shortly. “If my horcrux detector worked with a large radio I would have found them all already.”

The sass. Draco was deciding whether he wanted to punch him or snog him. 

If only the conversation would have ended there.

“Maybe you know where it is. Or Nott. You two used to spend a lot of time in here.”

“You can just say whatever you are thinking, you know? There is no need for this circus.”

But Potter did not respond. He turned left, stood next to a pile of old chairs, and his body became very rigid. 

Draco didn’t say anything. He waited as he watched Harry take four long steps, slowly, to a box on top of an old trunk. It seemed plain at first, not at all special, but when Potter extended his hand to touch it, he could see him wincing in pain, his scar was hurting.

He walked towards him and helped him, opened the box for him and Draco felt its dark magic come off it in waves. The beautiful diadem was silver, shiny and just so mesmerizing to see... 

“This is it.”

“Yeah. I wonder if Ron and Mione could get into the chamber. We need the fangs.”

The sound of spells being fired filled the room. It was impossible to see where did it come from but they grabbed the diadem and followed the sound of Theo’s voice and furniture blowing up all the same. 

“BOMBARDA!” The brunette yelled and the cupboard next to Vince and Greg exploded in a million pieces before he ducked again to dodge a Diffindo casted towards him. From his hideout he spoke clearly. “You think the Dark Lord will give a fuck about you handing Potter in?”

Vince casted a Bombarda too, just to spite him. His eyes were livid. 

“Do you think that Draco will run into your arms for changing sides?” He asked in a very mean joking tone that made him want to strangle him. 

“Fumos,” Theo casted before starting to wave his wand around, making all the objects of the piles fall in a sea of lost and found things. “ Potter!” He shouted, it sounded rushed, like he wanted to run the hell away from there and he was just waiting orders.

Harry was the one who ran towards him, avoiding to shout so Vince and Greg wouldn’t hear him near, and pushed Theodore, directing him to the entrance. 

Running, trying to get away from that maze that was the Room of Hidden Things, they found Weasley and Granger, well, almost crashed into them.

“Hey!! You found the diadem!” The weasel said the broken cup still in his hand.

He was promptly interrupted by Greg’s voice, screaming bloody murder.

“What did you do?! RUN! RUN, VINCE!”

The heat felt so all consuming. Ever-burning flames rose, burning everything and destroying every single item in their path. And all his friend were running too. The gryffindors almost fled to the door and Draco was following by inertia. It wasn’t until he saw the brooms in a corner that he changed his direction.

“WHAT THE BLOODY HELL ARE YOU DOING?” He heard the Weasel yell, probably because he was the first to notice.

“DRACO DON’T-“Theodore yelled but he was already hoping on the broom.

“Slytherin code!” He yelled right back at him as if it were an explanation.

Why did they think that it was necessary to have five people on brooms to save two was a mystery. He supposed that Potter just jumped on a broom as soon as he saw Draco being a suicidal arsehole and the rest of them just followed. 

That was the whole point of their relationship dinamic, one of them on the verge of dying and the other running towards danger to stop it. If they got out of the Fiendfyre alive, Draco seriously hoped that their children would not grow up to be like them, he would die from stress. 

He found them climbing one of the mountains of things, for a moment Vince stumbled, Greg caught him by the collar of his shirt, his face all ugly from crying.

He heard Vince tell him to drop him, that otherwise they were going to fall both into the flames. 

No.

He could save them both. He could.

He rushed towards them, the heat of the room burning his skin. He wondered if he could catch on fire just for being near it, if his skin could burn alive from just from being near.

“Draco watch it!” Harry’s voice came out desperate but it was right on time because he dodged the table that was probably going to fall on him. 

“You catch Greg!” He yelled over his shoulder. “Vince, you hand!” 

Vince was still hanging from Greg’s grip, doing an effort to put his feet on a surface so his weight didn’t end up dragging them both down. The boy looked at him, somewhat hesitant that Draco was actually offering his hand rather than all being a catch to get him to fall directly into the flames. He supposed that he realized that he didn’t have much choice than to trust him. 

He lowered the broom and pulled from Vince’s hand to swing him towards it. A little stumble, a little balance lost, for a moment Draco thought they would fall together to the fire. They didn’t.

He heard Potter yell at him to fly, and he did. He flew so fast that they were crossing the entire Room in a matter of seconds. He could feel the heat increasing, surrounding them.

They crossed the door and fell to the floor in exhaustion. Everything rang in Draco’s ears. Everything was blurry. They had saved Greg and Vince. They had caught the horcrux...

The horcrux. 

“POTTER! Throw the diadem to the fire!”

Harry seemed to blink, it was Granger who snapped him out of it.

“It’s Fiendfyre! Throw it!!”

And he did. 

The flames seemed to morph into something that wasn’t an animal, the spirit, the soul of Riddle throwing itself to them, hunting them to avoid the imminent destruction. 

The door shut themselves, keeping whatever it was coming for them inside. He could still feel the heat emanating from the walls, even if the door had disappeared.

Something shifted in the air then. The wards. They weren’t going to hold up.

Next thing he knew Theo, Vince and Greg were crying in pain and Potter stumbled and fell to the floor.

Draco crawled next to the green-eyed. 

“He is angry...” His voice came out rough and affected. 

“We need to move.” He heard Granger say, securing the bag filled with basilisk fangs and gathering the ones that had fell to the floor when they landed. 

Vince and Greg stood up and ran away. Draco wasn’t even surprised but he heard Theo mutter something along the lines of ‘so much for the Slytherin code’... The blond didn’t agree with him, though. Vince and Greg could have attempted to take Potter again right there and then. They were all weak, exhausted... And they didn’t. Even when they hadn’t change sides... if that wasn’t the Slytherin code he didn’t know what was.

“What about the house elves?” Weasley asked, frowning, like the thought had just occurred to him.

And he wasn’t the only one, Draco had totally forgotten about them, and for the look in Granger’s face she had too.

“You mean we ought to get them fighting?” Asked Potter with hesitation.

“No. I mean we should tell them to get out. We can’t order them to die for us.” 

It was in moments like this that Draco felt proud to call him his best friend, even after all the years they spent fighting and hating each other. Because Weasley was like that, kind, thoughtful and brave.

He heard the clattering of the fangs on the floor and saw Granger throw herself into Weasley’s arms. Her bushy long hair all over the place, her feet not touching the floor because Ron had been quick enough to catch her on air. 

And then she kissed him full on the mouth. 

Draco could see the the smile on the corner of Weasley’s lips as he held her tight and returned the kiss passionately. He couldn’t help but to smile as he saw them.

“Is this really the moment?” Potter asked with a flat tone.

Draco turn around to see Theo and found him looking at the happy couple with a bored expression, not surprised at all, maybe he thought that Ron and Hermione were already together and this wasn’t their first kiss.

“There is a war going on here!!” Potter yelled again and Draco punched his arm and heard him whined in pain.

“Let them snog, Potter. Took them long enough.” He replied rolling his eyes.

“Yeah, mate” Ron said cheerfully. “It’s now or never, right?”

It didn’t took long until Theo ran out of patience and said that they could all shag each other for all he cared but he was going to find the rest of the DA or the Order, people who were actually doing something right now.

Potter followed, his face reflecting a level of hurt-pride that Draco hadn’t seen before. It was as it he thought that Theo was braver than he was, more adequate to fight this.

It was ridiculous, Harry had been fighting this war since he was born, there was no other person in the world who was more adequate to fight this. Theo was probably just hiding how scared he was by showing off. Potter didn’t need to show off, he was just that brave, that fearless.

Soon enough, Weasley and Granger followed them. 

They didn’t need to walk very far to see Fred and Percy Weasley fighting with the Minister of Magic and one of the death eaters that Draco could not recognize. 

Everything was wrong about that moment, every single fucking thing. They had learned enough in the training with Sirius and Mr. Potter to know that, he was just surprised that no one was saying a thing about it. 

The only thing that was good about the fight was that they were fighting back to back. Good for cover. Not good for killing curses. 

But Percy was joking around, being cocky. Fred actually stopped to talk to him.

Draco was already running towards them, ignoring whatever Theo or Harry were screaming at him. The light was approaching, huge thing, coming at them, he could see it all through the huge window.

“GET DOWN!” He yelled, his throat raw from the intensity as he threw himself over the redhead and pulled him away from the wall.

Sirius’ voice ringing in his head.  
’Watch out for everything. It’s not only the killing curses, it’s the hexes, it’s the bloody walls and furniture that could crack your skull open’ 

And James’.

‘ And always fight together, always protect each other.’

The explosion went off and bricks flew around them. Draco covering their heads with his hands. Only thinking that none of them could die from something so stupid as a wall falling on them, not with all the bloody threats around the castle. 

No sibling of Weasley was dying on his watch. Not after everything that Ron had done for him.

His eyes were heavy, he had hit his head when he threw himself to the floor, but he could still breath... Not dead. Good.

He turned to see Fred. Shook him with all he had. The redhead complained, no words but it was a sound. Sounds meant he was alive.

“Draco...” He heard as he felt Harry’s hand moving carefully lifting his head.

He forced himself to get up, ignoring the complains of the green-eyed and turned to see Weasley, Fred and Percy looking at him.

“That was the stupidiest thing you’ve ever done, Ferret. I’m counting the sword.” His voice sounded so broken... He only had seen Weasley cry once, right before they went to Bill’s, but he was definitely crying now, so that would be two times he saw it. 

Then, Fred spoke:

“Thank you, Malfoy. You have a fifty-percent discount on Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes.”

He laughed, wholeheartedly and carefree. Theodore and Hermione managed to scare away the attackers, protecting them while they tried to recover from everything.

And he couldn’t help but to feel grateful, grateful that he was fighting with them and not against them, grateful to had saved Sirius last year, grateful to have brought James back, grateful to have become friends with Weasley, grateful that Granger invited him to the horcrux-hunt, grateful to have Theodore covering his back, grateful to have Potter hugging him and kissing the top of his head. Grateful to have saved Fred just then.

The only thought on Draco’s mind was that a lot of good things had happened that day for it to be the worst day in their lives.


	23. The Battle of Hogwarts (part 2)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I can’t believe this is finally it. 💕We have a few chapters from now on but nothing like this. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did writing it. Please let me know what you thought, I’ll be responding to all the comments✨ 
> 
> Ps. I’ve checked but sorry if you find any errors in this one.

Harry couldn’t believe that he was capable of walking away from there. He knew he had to. Parkinson and Zabini would take good care of Draco, cover his back... But he couldn’t believe he was even capable of stepping aside.

The night was a little cold, the sun was still down. Hermione kept helping him up the stairs towards the castle. Ron wasn’t saying a thing either but Harry knew he was dying to stay next to the blond boy as much as he was.

The scene just kept repeating in his head. Voldemort’s words. The sound of Nagini attacking Snape’s neck. Harry had to cover Draco’s mouth to keep him from crying in pain as he heard his godfather being murdered right beside them.

When they heard the apparition cracked they entered. All Six of them. Parkinson and Zabini had joined them as soon as they had seen them trying to get passed the entrance hall and Nott had stayed back to help the order cover the castle. At first he had thought that maybe they were too many people for an undercover mission like it was killing Nagini... Now he was glad the six of them were there.

Draco threw himself over Severus, tears coursing down his cheeks. Harry thought that his heart was going to stop working just from seeing him like that. 

“Severus, Severus-“ He kept repeating, trying to get his eyes to focus on him but for some reason the man kept trying to look at Harry. “You are going to be okay. Granger give me the antidote.”

Hermione started to empty her purse, desperate. But the blood was too much and the wound was cursed because as much as Draco tried to close it it wasn’t working. There was so much blood...

“Draco...” Snape’s voice was almost inaudible. “Are you...?” He asked placing his hand in Draco’s chest and everyone understood what he was asking.

“Yes.” He replied, choking on his tears. “Yes, you can’t leave me now. I’m safe, please, I love you Severus. I don’t care what happened last year, you are still my godfather. Please.”

But that was the only thing that he needed to hear apparently, because he turned to Harry again, raising his hand to gesture at the tears that were escaping his dark eyes and mumbled ‘take them, take them all’. 

When they fell into the vial, Harry noticed that they were memories. They looked familiar to the ones he had used with Dumbledore last year.

“Look at me.” Snape asked and Harry could still hear Draco crying as he kept repeating the charm to close the wound. “You have you mother’s eyes.” 

A soft smile appeared on the corner of his lips before his eyes weren’t really seeing him anymore, they seemed lost. 

“NO. No, Severus. Please wake up. I beg you-“ It was breaking his heart. He tried to hug Draco from behind to separate him a little bit from the body because the blood kept on flowing and now the boy was all covered in it and crying in the most raw and painful way that Harry had ever heard someone cry in his life.

The voice of Voldemort was the only thing that interrupted Draco’s crying. 

“You have fought bravely, but in vain... I do not wish this. Every drop of magical blood spilled is a terrible waste. I, therefore, command my forces to retreat. In their absence, dispose your dead with dignity. Harry Potter, I now speak directly to you. On this night you have allowed your friends to die for you rather than face me yourself. There is no grater dishonor. Join me in the Forbidden Forest and confront your fate. If you do not do this, I shall kill every last man, woman and child who tries to conceal you from me.”

Draco turned to look at him. His face covered in blood and with a desperate look in his eyes. He took Harry’s face in his hands, forcing his green eyes to meet his grey ones.

“Don’t even think about it. Do you hear me? You are not dying on me too. He’s bluffing.” He said with a strangled voice but Harry wasn’t so sure he was right about that. “He can’t kill everyone who loves you, there would be no Wizarding World left.”

And with all the blood, the tears, the sweat and the mud, Draco kissed him like his life depended from it. Not soft and kind, not a coming home kiss... It was a raw, desperate, attempt to get Harry to forget what he had just heard. 

He felt like there was nothing else in the world that just the two of them right there, and he wished it were that easy.

“Promise me.”

But he couldn’t lie to him. He couldn’t tell him he was going to let everyone die for him because it was not true. 

“I love you.” Was what he said instead.

“I love you too. Promise me.”

He kissed him again, pouring his soul into it, savoring Draco’s lips, memorizing every inch of his mouth... 

“I’ll never leave you.” 

‘Not really.’ 

And he knew he was being unfair because he got Draco to let go and he felt so alone without his arms around him.

“Go, Potter. We’ll stay with him.” Parkinson had said. “You need to get to the Pensieve.” 

And that’s how Harry was dead-walking, with his heart constricting in his chest. Moving by inertia. His hand protecting the vial. Wishing that that hadn’t been his last kiss with Malfoy.

————————————

He walked towards Nott. He had told Hermione and Ron that he would be right there with them even though he knew he was lying. That was becoming an habit for him, lying to the ones he loved. 

He just couldn’t. His dad and Padfoot were with the Weasleys and if he got to hug them again he would never gather the courage to get to the Forest. He almost hadn’t when Draco kissed him.

He touched the boy’s shoulder and when he turned around to look at him he gestured to follow him outside for a minute. 

This was good. This was a good thing.

“What is it? Where is Draco?” 

Of course he was going to ask for him. 

“With Zabini and Parkinson.” He replied an took a deep breath before asking what he didn’t want to ask. “You still love him, don’t you? You are in love with him.” 

Nott’s jaw clenched. His whole body went rigid for just a second but Harry noticed.

“I’m not going to steal him from you, if that’s what you are asking. I couldn’t even if I wanted to.”

“Why not?”

“Because he is too in love with you, Potter. There isn’t love left for anyone else.”

At this point, given what he had to do, he wasn’t sure if he wished that Nott was right or mistaken. If it was true, he could finally breath and not get this awful jealousy every time he saw them around each other... If it was false, Harry would die and Draco would spend the rest of his life alone. He didn’t want that. He wanted him to be happy. He said that he had feeling for Nott at some point, right?

This was the right thing to do.

“Just- Just take care of him, okay?” His voice was already trembling. “Be patient with him. I’m sure you two can be very happy if you try.”

“Potter, it’s this about the message? Don’t go. Don’t be so bloody stupid.”

“It’s not about that-“

“Draco is not something you can just leave to me. He is a person. He wants you. He chose you.“

And Harry wished more than anything to be the one who got to marry him, who got to kiss him every morning, to say I love you a thousand times a day to make up for all the time they had lost. 

But he couldn’t. He was cursed and he couldn’t. 

It wasn’t his place. He felt something pulling in his stomach at the thought that it never had been. Not really. 

Maybe like this he was just an obscure chapter in Draco’s life.

“I can’t.” He said with his voice broken and ran as fast as he could. He couldn’t let them stop him. He needed to do this. Otherwise, Draco’s godfather would have died in vain, Dumbledore too, and he didn’t even want to think about more people dying for him. He didn’t have the strength.

————————

The forest seemed so beautiful in that exact moment. Even with everything. 

The sky was starting to clear up, the dark sky started to be light blue around the edges (or the horizon? He wasn’t sure what he could call that)... If Draco were there he would point out that it meant that the Witching hour was ending, that everything that happen from that moment on, during the day, would be more terrenal, The Veil, the souls would get more settled down on the other side and would not intervine in the slightest to the events in the living realm. Harry had always liked the Witching hour, even from before he knew what it was, he always found it comforting to stay up late... He wasn’t sure if it was because of the insomnia or someone visiting him even though he couldn’t see them. 

Now, it was probably almost six a.m. It was those hours where the fog still caressed the trees seemed to walk the forest along with him. It was impossible to hear a single animal, Harry guessed they had scared them all off with the battle.

He could hear their voices near, not enough for them notice him approaching, but he could. 

Knowing that you are going to die brings somewhat of relief to the act of living, he noticed everything about what was surrounding him. It was like he didn’t care for keeping himself alive, therefore, he could take a moment to admire a rather nice flower that was growing next to the roots of the tree besides him. 

The snitch was heavy on his hand. Another sensation he would never have again, the feeling of catching the snitch. 

He looked at it, the words ‘I open at the close’ appeared again in beautiful cursive letters. Dumbledore’s handwriting.

“I’m ready to die.” He whispered to it before bringing it to his lips and softly kissing the metal. 

The snitch opened itself. Leaving a small stone floating in front of him. 

He took a deep breath before taking it in his hands. Trying to focalize what he wanted, who he wish to see. He closed his hand around it, closing his eyes.

When he opened them, his mother was standing there, smiling. Not aged a day, just like his father when he crossed to this Realm.

“Hi.” It’s the only thing he can formulate, his eyes already watering.

“Hi, love.”

“Your eyes are really green.”

“Yours are too.” She replied with amusement in her voice.

“Are you alone there? Now that dad-“

She quickly shook her head.

“I have Marlene here, she is a good friend. I don’t know it your father can recall something from this side... but we wandered around with her and Regulus most of the time.”

“Regulus? That’s Padfoot’s brother.”

“Yes, he is very funny, just like Sirius. For what I could spy from here, I believe you would think he was more like Draco.” She said with a look that made Harry understand that she approves of him, that she liked them together. “And I believe an old friend will be joining us soon.”

“Snape.”

“Severus, yes.”

“He called you-“

“We were just kids. Doesn’t make it right but it’s still true. I think you have a very close example of how people can redeem themselves and change... I’m still going to chase his sorry arse for a few months first though, didn’t enjoy how he treated you in the slightest. He always had a twisted sense of humor.”

Harry snorted and offered her a smile.

“What’s yours?”

“What’s what?”

“Your sense of humor. I know dad’s humor now.”

She crooked her head, her stunning deep-red hair falling to the side.

“I like mean jokes, dark humor...Your father always enjoyed laughing from silly things. Always only took a few words to reminded him he was the most ridiculous human being I’ve ever met.”

“Dad says my sass comes from you.”

“That would be correct, your father liked it. Severus on the other hand... kind of hated it and still found it amusing all the same. I like the one where you said to him ’There is no need to call me Sir, Professor’, I laughed for days after that one.

And her laughter echoed around the forest, only for Harry to realize that they laughed the same way, with a snort at first and that little chocking sound in the middle. 

“I love you. I wish we could have had our time here.” Harry said. He was crying again. He lost count of how much he had cried that day.

She reached out to touch him but couldn’t, because she was not here... Not really. But seeing her hand over his shoulder was almost like feeling her touch, he could imagined it.

“I love you too. And we can have our time there, don’t cry, love.”

“Does it hurt?”

“You don’t feel a thing, quicker than falling asleep.”

“And you will be there with me?” He asked, he felt his fingers trembling so he tightened his grip around the stone.

“Always.”

For a moment, hearing her saying those words made Harry regret to not have a proper conversation with Snape through all those years... Clearly they talked the same sometimes. Maybe he could have heard stories about his mother that weren’t based on his Dad thinking she was pretty and funny. 

He put the stone carefully in his pocket and walked to meet his end.

He saw Narcissa and Lucius again. Harry had this unbearable need to tell them to go look for Draco, to hug him before it was too late. After all, he could only hope that Hermione and Ron would get to kill Nagini after he was gone. 

He really hated Tom Riddle’s snake-alike face. His only regret in all this was that he would be seeing him last in this world, those disgusting red eyes... That was going to be the last thing he saw.

But then he noticed Hagrid when he heard him plead for Harry to run away, to not be a fool. He focused on him as he heard Voldemort’s voice.

“Harry Potter... the boy who lived, came to die.”

How fucking poetic. 

‘So here goes nothing.’

“AVADA KEDABRA.” And the green light hit him square in the chest. 

Everything was white and bright. His first thought was that if all the afterlife was this fucking bright he would need sunglasses. 

It looked like King's Cross Station. But white. Like someone had forgotten to ad the colors to a painting and left the drawing only with the black pencil traces. 

“Hello, Harry James Potter.”

A woman’s voice, but it was not his mother’s. He raised his eyes to look at whoever said those words and found a  gorgeous woman with long silky black hair, wearing a very transparent dress. Harry could see her entire body perfectly. 

He walked over her, his cheeks as red as he didn’t even imagine possible for the afterlife. 

Once he was standing in front of her he had to fight with every single fiber in his body to keep his eyes on her face. He failed.

“Oh, the other one never looks. Let me just...”

And with a wave of her hand, the transparent dress was replaced by a beautiful silver gown that seemed to be made of stars with how much it glittered.

“Who are you?” Harry asked and the woman just raised an eyebrow. “Death?”

“Yes.”

“Well... is this it? I don’t see my mother-“

“No. You are in what your people would call the Limbo. I call it the In Between.”

“Why does it look like King’s Cross?” He asked pulling a face. It seemed so boring.

She started to walk around the station and Harry followed her as she kept on talking.

“Everything presents to the new soul in a way they found familiar. My only guess it’s that your first happy memory was in here.”

The first time he got on the Hogwarts Express. Meeting Ron. Making his first friend.

“I’m actually surprised you chose for me to look like me. Most of them choose someone they miss and trust.”

Harry looked at her. She seemed genuinely happy about what she had just told him. He remembered something that Draco said:

‘Can you imagine being a deity that nobody loves? Everyone fears her too much to accept her.’

“But it’s always you, right? You receive the souls.”

“It is always me. I’m just a very good actress.” She said before laughing. It sounded like a soft melody, everything about her was enchanting and beautiful. 

She took a seat on one of the benches and Harry did the same.

“You are now the first and only Master of Death to ever exist. You can add that title to the extensive curriculum you have, boy.”

Harry frowned.

“What?”

“You possess all three of the Deathly Hallows, The Invisibility Cloak, The Resurrection Stone and The Elder Wand... And even having all those items, you decided to face Death rather than to run away from me.”

“I don’t have the Elder Wand.”

“I can’t talk about the Hallows in the Living Realm. I can only tell you what I told you.” It seemed like a spell was casted on her tongue and she couldn’t even pronounce other words. She couldn’t explain. “ A rightful Master of Death can choose his time. What do you wish to do?”

He felt like he was floating just from hearing her. He couldn’t contain the smile that appeared on his lips.

“You mean I can go back?”

“Yes.” She answered simply.

But then, he remembered.

“But I’m a Horcrux... If I go back he can’t die.”

She took a deep breath as she looked away. He could hear a train coming their way, the clickety-clack approaching them.

“I always hated that man. He called me with rituals but never paid his debts. Just like the Three Brothers. You give humans gifts and they destroy everything in their path.” Death turned to look at Harry, her dark deep eyes staring at him. “Do you have The Stone?”

Oh. He almost had forgotten about that. He took it out of his pocket and offered it to her.

“This was probably the worst decision in my entire eternity and now I can finally destroy it.”

The conversation with his mother replayed in his mind.

“I liked that one. I think it was very kind of you...”

Death let out a snort.

“You would think that. Everybody does.”

“Then whats the problem?”

“It makes living souls want to join their love ones here. Contrary to popular belief, I do not wish for my Realm to have more souls than the absolute necessary.” 

Blue flames surrounded The Stone, it felt like ice rather than fire.

“Et periit, attuleris mortem”

And the little stone evaporated in the blue flames.

The train entered the station, all white too, it was like the colors could not be part of the In Between.

“The Horcrux in you was destroyed. Personally, I think the method was rather unnecessary. Your Headmaster was a brilliant man, I’m surprised he did not think about something less traumatic.” Then she smiled at him. “But it is good that it happened as it did. You will realize why... soon enough.”

He started to walk towards the train but turned around as he remembered something. He would not get a chance like this and it would be a shame, Death was very nice.

“Thank you for giving me my father back. And thank you for letting Draco stay.”

She smiled kindly at him.

“That boy loves you very very much.” She stated, nodding. “And can I tell you a little secret?”

Harry nodded sightly, without saying a word, he just wanted answers.

“I didn’t want him here for loving you. That would have been unfair, don’t you think?”

“Did you... Did you know how I felt? Or how was I going to feel for him?”

She smirked and made a gesture like she were locking her own mouth and throwing away the key.

Of course She had known. Apparently Harry and Draco were the only ones who hadn’t realized it back then.

He smiled at her and turned around to get on the train, he could hear the whistle announcing the departure...

Harry had expected to see the train ride, at least a little bit. In reality, he just found himself in the Forest again, lying on the leaves and dry branches. 

He heard someone approach him under the order to check if he was alive or not. 

He kept his eyes closed, calculating how little chance of escaping death he had, now that the Resurrection Stone had been destroyed and he was no longer Master of anything... 

Someone knelt next to him, putting fingers on his neck to check his pulse. They were women’s fingers, he noticed. 

“Is Draco alive? Is he in the castle?”

The whisper was barely audible; she was giving showing her back to the rest of them. Harry couldn’t see if someone else was with them but he guessed that this was his only chance to escape. 

And it was Draco’s mother. He wasn’t about to lie to her.

“Yes,” He breathed back.

He felt Narcissa standing up again.

“Dead.” She declared without the slightest fear in her voice and Harry understood where had Draco gotten his bravery and protectiveness from.

“You see?” screeched Voldemort over the tumult. “Harry Potter is dead by my hand, and no man alive can threaten me now! Watch! Crucio!”

It took everything in him to not move an inch. Expecting that unbearable pain, that heat in his veins that made him want to die rather than to fight... but the pain never came.

He heard laughter, mostly Bellatrix’s, her laugh was the most distinguishable of them all; very high pitched, a lunatic’s laughter. 

He also could hear Hagrid crying. He was so tired of hearing people he loved crying.

——————————

Hagrid was carrying him. He knew they had finally reached the Great Hall because he could hear everyone’s whispers. 

Hagrid kept crying, his big tears falling on Harry’s shirt and face. It was very hard not to pinch him to let him know he was alright.

“Harry!” He heard his father yell and before anyone could react, it was Voldemort who spoke.

“HARRY POTTER IS DEAD!” He declared and ended up laughing, which made every other Death Eater join.

“No!” He heard Draco’s voice cry in pain and Harry felt like his heart was being squeezed to death just from the sound of it. He also heard struggle. “Let me go, Sirius! He can’t be! He can’t be-”

“He is.” Voldemort replied with ease. “As you can see, fighting has become ridiculous. Join me and I shall leave everyone alive.”

He heard Lucius weak voice speak. Hesitation in his voice, like he was fearing the outcome to what he was saying.

“Come, Draco. The Dark Lord will forgive you-“

Lucius Malfoy didn’t know his son at all, did he?

The sound of someone spitting on the floor echoed in the Great Hall. 

“Fuck you. I’m going to burn him alive and then I’m going to burn you alive.” 

It was unbelievable, how Draco could be crying, inconsolable, and still threaten someone in between the sobs. He wanted to kiss him so bad that his lips were hurting.

And, then, Neville came forward.

“I must say, I was hoping for better.”

’Disgusting piece of shit. I hope that Death will make you spend your eternity alone and forgotten.’

He just needed to wait a little longer, maybe he could get him when his guard was down...

“I’d like to say something.”

“Well, Neville, I’m sure we all would want to hear what you have to say.”

“It doesn’t matter that Harry’s gone.”

“Stand down, Longbottom.” He heard Nott say.

“People die all the time. But they didn’t die in vain! But you will, ‘cause you are wrong!” The sound of the sword sliding off the sorting hat was too familiar for him. Only ever presented to true Gryffindors, like Neville. “ I’ll join you when he’ll freezes over. Dumbledore’s Army!” 

And Harry was jumping off Hagrid’s arms. Everyone turned to look at him. Even Voldemort. And he was still wandless. He hadn’t thought this through, had he?

“POTTER!” Nott yelled and his wand came flying right to his hand. He caught it middle air and pointed it to the snake.

“Confringo!”

“That doesn’t work, you stupid Gryffindor! RUN” 

And he was never happier to hear Draco mad at him, at least the crying had stopped.

In between the running, the blasting curses that were being casted towards his way, and Voldemort’s screams in anger, he could hear his father exclaim something like:

“My son just doesn’t die, does he?”

“Seems like it, Prongs.” Sirius responded to him laughing and everyone started to move again.

————————

In the end, he understood what Death had told him. He even shouted him to Voldemort just to spite him.

“You can’t touch them! I meant to die in that forest, just to protect them, the same thing that my mother did for me, the same thing that brought your fall that Halloween night!”

“But you didn’t-“

“But I meant to! Now this is between you and me only.”

He challenged him because he knew he couldn’t resist them. His pride and ego were to big to choose his own battles, he responded to them all, especially if it was Harry asking.

“You are going to lose, Harry Potter.”

“We’ll see, Riddle. Because, if my calculations are correct, then I am the true Master of the Elder Wand.”

That pissed him right off. 

“AVADA KEDABRA.”

“EXPELLIARMUS.” He casted at the same time.

The green and red light were fighting for dominance and Harry felt like his entire magical core was fighting off the curse, fighting for him to survive this. 

The struggle became easier. That was when he knew he would win.

In the end, Tom Riddle died like any other human would. His body fell to the floor, his red eyes seemed lost and Harry felt like he could actually live  for the first time ever. 

His knees gave out and he fell to the floor, exhausted. Soon enough he felt someone lifting his head up. It took him a moment to see those beautiful grey eyes looking at him, livid.

“You promised me.”

“I didn’t lie to you.”

“I should try to kill myself and leave you those words in the bloody letter, how about that?”

And Harry grabbed his shirt to pull him down and kiss him. 

To kiss him like he wanted. To kiss him with all the time in the world. To kiss him as a promise that he would never leave Draco alone, that he would never do anything like this again.

His lips moved perfectly against his. It always felt like they were made for each other. Imagine all the fights they could have fixed, back in school, if they would have just kiss each other like this.

“Get a room!” He heard Ron yell and Harry couldn’t help but to chuckle in between the kiss.

“I do miss our room activities.” He said with a smug tone to the blond.

“Can we not talk about room activities five meters away from a dead body?”

“You were the one snogging me next to it. Don’t be a prude, Malfoy.”

Draco laughed and it sounded like the most beautiful sound in the world.

Finally, they would get to live.


	24. These Are The Days Of Our Lives (Part 1)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello!! Sorry, this week has been crazy. These are some of the scenes, I’ll write the other ones as soon as I can! Let me know what you thought, pleaseee! I’m always so nervous when I post a chapter, reading you comments helps with that💕
> 
> Ps. I’ve checked but sorry if you find any errors in this one✨

**June 5th, 1999**

“You know... You could just ask her to dance.” 

Theodore didn’t even bother to look at him, just kept drinking his Firewhiskey, his eyes fixed on the center of the room.

All the Eighth-years (they were actually Seventh-years but McGonnagal said that it was unfair to call it that for the people who actually attended their Seventh year, no matter how useless it had been) were celebrating Draco’s nineteenth birthday. He found turning nineteen surreal, when not too long ago he had thought he wouldn’t get to live much more than a few weeks after his eighteenth birthday. Everything seemed surreal about this year...

‘Under Pressure’ was playing and pretty much all his friends were dancing. Draco had been dancing with them until he noticed Theodore in the corner, being all boring and looking kind of annoyed. So there he was, again, trying to make him see reason because his whole Luna-thing was getting ridiculous.

“Theodore, she knows you are watching her. You are hardly being subtle about it-“

“Longbottom is gathering his Gryffindor courage to ask her.” The brunette gestures towards Neville who was looking at Luna dancing (if one could call her jumping all over the place dancing) and smiling like an idiot. 

“Then be a Slytherin and ask her first.”

“I’m not talking about this with you.”

That had become Theodore’s mantra when he was dealing with Draco asking questions about his love life. 

It was absurd because Draco already knew that Theo didn’t feel the same for him anymore... And they were friends, weren’t they? He talked about stuff like this with Blaise, Pansy and even The Gryffindors. The brunette just used their past relationship as an excuse to avoid hearing Draco calling him out on his ridiculous behavior.

“She obviously likes you.”

“Yeah, cheers.” He snorted sarcastically and drank some more. Draco just stared at him like he was insane. “That’s the story of my life. People liking me but them being some other Gryffindor’s endgame.”

And suddenly it became so personal... Draco’s eyes met his hazel ones only to see the brunette sneer.

“Don’t pity me, Draco. I might just throw up.”

“That could be the alcohol, Theo.”

“No, it’s definitely your ugly mug.”

He felt some arms hugging him from behind and then he was hit with the smell of Harry’s cologne. Draco couldn’t imagine ever getting tired of how his body and brain reacted to him instantly, of having him near like this.

“Stealing my boyfriend, Nott?” He asked.

It has become this thing with them, joking about Draco. At first he had found it rather annoying but, with time, Draco realized that this was their type of bonding, ridiculous as it seemed. They had this kind of friendship that wasn’t really one. They tolerated each other for Draco’s sake, he knew that. Harry liked to joke about it but Theo was still a sore spot for him, they had a couple of fights about it, specially after Eighth year started and Draco had been paired up with Theo as roommates.

“I was just offering my services as a birthday gift, Potter.”

He felt Harry tense around him so Draco had to intervene before his stupid jealous head got stuck on the thought.

“He wasn’t, we were just talking about Theo being here and watching Luna like a creep.”

“I’m not watching.”

“Oh, please, Nott.”

“Why don’t you two go to shag and leave me to mope in peace?”

They ended up dragging Theo to where everyone was dancing and, even though he refused to ask Luna to dance, this happened:

“Theodore, you are a marvelous dancer!” Luna beamed at him.

Theo blushed horribly and admitted to her that he had taken lessons as a child.

“Would you teach me?” She asked kindly as she offered her hand for him to take it.

“I- I mean, I-“ He stuttered while he looked around him as if he were trying to find an excuse not to. “Fuck. Yeah, whatever.”

**March 10th, 2000**

Mr. Potter and Sirius were holding hands, crying from happiness, standing in front of Remus in the garden of the Potter’s Mansion. 

The wedding was a small one, mostly it was some of the Order members, Harry’s and Draco’s friends, and, of course, Andromeda and Narcissa. Sirius had reconnected with them after the war had ended, and from what Mother told Draco in her letters last year, they used to spend a lot of time having ‘Cousin’s Nights’ while they, on the other hand, were at Hogwarts studying for their NEWTs.

Mr.Potter was wearing an stunning silver dressing robe that seemed to glitter with the sunset lighting , while Sirius wore elegant white dress robes with some golden runes on his sleeves. They looked so good together that if Draco didn’t love both of them so much he would have been envious of it all.

(Maybe he kind of was but in a good way.)

Remus asked them to say their vows and James was the first to speak.

“I can’t-“ And his voice broke because of the tears and then he chuckled before trying again. “I can’t believe that we finally got our happy ending. I’ve waited so long for this, Sirius. I don’t know what else I can tell you when I have dedicated you all the love songs in the world and Told you that I love you a million times already... But I do. I love you. And nothing can stop me from loving you, not even death.” He felt Harry Interwinding their hands together and when he turned to look at him, he could see the tears starting to appear in his green eyes. “I got my second chance, and since I set a foot on this side I knew that I just wanted to be around Harry and to finally go after you. I knew that I wasn’t going to fuck it up this time around... And I didn’t, see? We’re getting married, Padfoot” 

Everyone laughed at the childish excitement in James’ voice. Draco understood him, though. If Mr. Potter had wanted to marry Sirius half as much as Draco wanted to marry Potter since he was eleven (well, twelve because that was when he realized) then he totally justified the childish excitement. 

“You are everything to me. Everything. Since the first time that I laid eyes on you and thought that you must’ve been made of sunshine with how much your smile shone. And I know that now I’m too old to look cute beside you-“

“Oh, shut the hell up, Sirius-“

“But I want to spend every living moment with you, beside you, loving you. I think that it’s all.” He said the last part to Remus. “Oh, wait! We’re getting married, Prongs!”

And the laughter this time around was even louder. They were so perfect, made for each other. Draco never knew neither of them without the other and he didn’t want to. Not ever.

“Sirius, do you take James Fleamont Potter as your lawful wedded husband?”

“I do, hell yes.”

“And James, do you take Sirius Orion Black as your lawful wedded husband?”

“I do, I absolutely do.”

They exchanged rings, the happy tears still coursing down their cheeks. Remus smiled brightly as he said the last piece. 

“You probably had kissed each other a million times. Maybe even more. But today it’s different. You’ll be no longer simply partners or best friends, you now become husbands. Today, your kiss is a promise to each other. “ He felt Harry squeeze his hand. “You may now seal this union with a kiss.”

And Mr. Potter took Sirius face in his hands, left hand showing off his gorgeous ring and kissed him like nothing else mattered in the world, smiling while Sirius kissed him right back.

“Can we have one of these?” Harry asked him as he laid his head on his shoulder, smiling.

“Are you asking me if I want to get married someday or are you actually proposing me, Potter?”

“I don’t know... Depends on your answer.”

“Well, my answer depends on your question.” He replied but Harry just kept looking at him, nervous as hell. “Merlin, Potter. Yes to both but I want a real proposal, one that happens on a day where I’m the protagonist, not anyone else.”

“That could be arranged.” He said and leaned forward to capture his lips.

**February 14th, 2004**

Love of my life, you've hurt me  
You've broken my heart and now you leave me  
Love of my life, can't you see?  
Bring it back, bring it back  
Don't take it away from me, because you don't know  
What it means to me

They were dancing under the thousands christmas lights that were hanging above them in the Grimmauld’s garden. 

Kreacher almost cried from happiness when Draco had informed him that their wedding would be taking place in the Black’s Ancestral home and that it would be a traditional wedding ceremony. 

‘Kreacher lives to serve the Black family, Master Draco. Kreacher would be honor to prepare the Grimmauld Place for the Malfoy-Potter wedding.’

Draco already lived in Grimmauld. After his father went to Azkaban and Malfoy Manor was seized, his mother went to live with Aunt Andromeda and he had chosen to return to Grimmauld by himself. Harry wasn’t very happy with that when it happened.

“Then I’ll go with you.”

“Are you kidding? Enjoy your father and Sirius, Potter. I’ll be one floo call away, okay? I’ll come here all the time.”

“Then what’s the point in you moving out? Stay. Dad and Padfoot want you to stay anyway.”

He planted a soft kiss on his lips before talking, that always seemed to help when he was explaining something to Harry.

“I miss Grimmauld. I want to live there and try to bring life to it again.”

Harry hugged him tight.

“What if I have nightmares...?”

“Then you floo-call and I’ll come running.”

“Fine, just as long as this isn’t because you are tired of me or whatever.” 

Draco laughed and kissed him again.

“Like that’s even possible.”

Draco had trouble believing that they just swore to love each other for eternity, that they swore on their magic that they would protect and love each other in this realm and the other one.

You will remember  
When this is blown over  
Everything's all by the way  
When I grow older  
I will be there at your side to remind you  
How I still love you (I still love you)  
I still love you

“I can’t believe that that time I found you crying on the couch was actually because of me. I was so angry that you loved someone this way and they didn’t feel the same.”

“Jealous you mean?”

His cheeks colored red and Draco thought that it was the prettiest thing he had ever seen in his life. Harry Potter, in white dress robes, his hair all messy, crooked glasses and a beautiful blush on his cheeks as he let himself be guided by Draco on the dance floor.

“Fine, yes. Jealous.”

“You shouldn’t be ashamed, Love, If I’d have known I would have snog you way sooner.”

His gorgeous green eyes locked with his grey ones, Harry’s mouth slightly open. His expression... Draco couldn’t place it.

“What?” He heard him ask. Draco blinked.

“That I would have kissed you sooner if I had know-“

“No, what did you just called me...?” And his cheeks were turning even more red now.

“Oh... You mean Love?” He whispered smugly in Harry’s ear and felt him almost shiver against him as they danced.

“Fuck.” Harry breathed out and Draco couldn’t help to laugh softly.

“Be pacient. A few more hours and I’ll call you that in our wedding night, how does that sound?”

“It sounds like a really long fucking time, Malfoy.” He hissed right back because he knew that Draco was being a bastard on purpose.

He just smiled as they kept on dancing.

Oh, hurry back, hurry back  
Don't take it away from me  
You don't know what it means to me  
Love of my life  
Love of my life  
Ooh, eh (alright)

“Everytime I call you Love, know that this is what I mean, that you are the love of my life.” He whispered to him. 

And Harry swung his arms around his neck before kissing him, forgetting that their entire friends and family were surrounding them and probably didn’t want to see them kiss that much. 

Draco kissed him back all the same.


	25. These Are the Days of Our Lives (Part 2)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi!! So here are the other scenes! Let me know what you thought ✨ I’ll be replying to your comments!! 
> 
> ALSOO... you can leave me any request if you have like an specific scene you would like to read and I’ll write it!! This would be a way of thanking you all for reading and supporting my story! 
> 
> Ps. i’ve checked but Sorry if you find any errors in this one💕

**August 15th, 2005**

It was in days like these where Draco asked himself how the fuck did he thought that they would work good together. Granger had this theory that he and Potter fought in school because of all the unsolved sexual tension... She was wrong, though. They fought because that’s just how they acted with each other. And right now, Draco didn’t even understood why they were fighting.

“It’s just a bloody dinner, Potter! You don’t have to go-“

“Oh, and I bet that you don’t want me to go either! You would be just so bloody thrilled to spend time alone with him-“

“Okay, Love? You are acting insane. I’m going to ignore what you just implied, floo Luna and Theo to tell them we are not going, and then we can order pizza. Yesterday you told me that you wanted to try that new place, right?”

Draco was walking on eggshells lately around him. 

Normally, he would have reacted worse to that ‘Theo comment’, specially now that Luna was pregnant, Draco felt insulted that Harry thought him capable of being such a piece of shit. But just two days ago they fought because the DMLE made and emergency call to him and Weasley on their day off... So, he chose to let it slide.

It was a date night when it happened. Imagine a very nicely dress Harry (which didn’t happen often), a very romantic dinner on Grimmauld’s garden and he had barely tasted the wine when Kreacher announced that Kingsley was calling. Harry didn’t make a single comment at the time... It was when he returned at 2 A.M that the screaming match had began and somehow ended up with Draco sleeping in his Regulus’ room.

And now, apparently, Draco had said an atrocious thing again because Harry took off his glasses to rub his eyes with exasperation as he let out a groan.

“I don’t want pizza. If you buy me food everytime that I’m mad at you I’ll end up like a bloody hippopotamus!”

Draco blinked.

“Okay... then what do you want for dinner?”

“A salad.”

“A salad?” He asked arching an eyebrow.

“That’s what I said.”

“Love-“

“What?”

The way that Potter hissed at him made him realize that pointing out that this was, probably, the first time that he had chose to have a salad for dinner, was not a good idea.

“Nothing, I’ll floo Luna and Theo and then I’ll prepare the salad.” 

**September 8th, 2005**

“The food in this place just gets worse, I swear.”

Draco just nodded at the redhead and took another bite of his sandwich. The Ministry’s cafeteria was their last resort to eat lunch but they had lost track of time and now they couldn’t go elsewhere, hence the disgusting food.

“You look tired.”

“Didn’t sleep well.” Ron just pursed his mouth.

“Another fight?”

At this point, Draco was fearing divorce. He could almost hear his father saying he had it coming for being a disgrace to the Malfoy name when he’d go visit his cell in Azkaban.

He raised his eyes to meet Ron’s and debated wether to talk to him about this or not. He always feared that whatever he said could get to Harry’s ears and just make everything worse... But everyone knew that they were having a couple of rough months, if anything, the bickering at the burrow were an honest clue.

“I just don’t know what the hell I’m doing wrong... Or maybe it’s just me, who the fuck knows-“

“Ferret, for the millionth time, Harry loves you. Everybody fights. Mione and me had a row this morning and only Godric knows what was it about.”

“Right?” Draco said. “With Potter it’s like every little fight leads to another thing entirely and-“

“And you weren’t even talking about that? Yeah. Apparently I called Mione fat this morning because I bought her the cheese scones that she likes. Somehow that evolved into me ‘not listening’ because the other day she had told me that some jeans didn’t fit her anymore and now I’m bringing fattening food into the house.”

Ron was doing that face that he did whenever Hermione was behaving utterly insane and Draco just snorted.

“This is ridiculous. Is this what being married means,weasel? We’ve been robbed.”

—————————

He entered the house exhausted, wishing that today he would get to sleep in his bed because, honestly, he couldn’t deal with this any longer.

He threw his suitcase on the couch and Kreacher appeared.

“Master Harry is waiting Master Draco with tea in the gardens. Master Harry has been acting very strange.”

Strange is a word Kreacher used when he found something bad and didn’t want to be disrespectful about it. Probably what he meant was that Harry had been acting all moody and he just wanted to warn Draco beforehand.

He walked towards the garden and found Harry sitting on their little table with tea and some chocolate cake that Draco liked, the one from the bakery in Diagon that had opened a couple of years ago. Not long ago, Harry and him would go there to have breakfast on Sundays Back when they didn’t fight every two days.

He murmured a soft ‘Hi’ before he sat on the chair right next to him. The green-eyed poured some tea in Draco’s mug.

“Are you still mad at me?”

Harry raised his eyes and shook his head softly.

“I just- We need to talk, Draco.”

And he felt his entire body froze. This was it, wasn’t it? Nine years together, one of them being married and that was it. Potter would ask for divorce because he came to the inevitable conclusion that him and Draco didn’t make any bloody sense and Draco would die alone because he would just go live under a rock and wait for Death to come get him again.

“About what?” He asked, trying to buy time by playing dumb. 

Potter looked even more nervous now. He pushed his black hair back and fixed his glasses. Draco couldn’t stop thinking that he was so fucking beautiful.

“I- Well, - Fuck this is so hard.” He groaned as he put his head in his hands and sighed tiredly. “Do you want kids?”

And that wasn’t what Draco was expecting at all.

“What?”

“Kids. We always talked about having them but I don’t want you to have them just because I want to have them, you know?”

Draco blinked. He didn’t even understand where the fuck had this conversation come from but whatever. This was still buying time to avoid the divorce papers, so...

“I want kids. Since I heard you talk about carrying them... I think that’s when I’ve began to imagine us raising our five monsters here. It’s not because of you. I think I would like to be a father... Even if I suck at it as much as I suck at being your husband.” 

He said the last part as a joke but Harry didn’t find it funny at all. He could see it in his face. He was, honestly, amazed with how easily he could fucked up conversations.

“Who said that?” And Potter had that look in his eyes, that protective look that always made Draco fall even more I love with him.

“Nobody. Our millions of fights these last two months tipped me off.” He replied not really looking at him, playing with his spoon.

Suddenly, Harry stood up and walked until he was in front of him. He put his hand on Draco’s to stop the movement and smiled softly before sitting on his lap, facing him.

Something in his chest lifted. Potter leaned in until his forehead was resting on Draco’s and the blond couldn’t help but to inhale his cologne.

His eyes were closed, he was just enjoying being so close to him. It had been a couple of weeks since they had been like this, most of the time Potter was too annoyed with him to let him get close. 

He felt Harry’s lips on his and he felt like every fiber in his body had been awaken with that simpler touch. He responded it almost instantly, putting his hands on his waist to pull him even closer as he deepened the kiss. Merlin, how he missed this.

Harry let out a soft moan and Draco felt dizzy just from the sound. One would think that with twenty-five years old he would have stopped reacting like a teenager to Potter but no. He would never get tired of this. He would never stop feeling dizzy whenever he heard Harry make those beautiful sounds. 

“Fuck, Love” He hissed as Harry pulled his hair and bit his bottom lip playfully.

“Draco” He breathed out. And the blond moved to kiss his neck slowly. “Draco, I really need to talk to you.”

He groaned and stopped to look at him. 

‘Please, don’t leave me while sitting on my lap. It would be humiliating.’

“You don’t suck at being my husband. I don’t even know how did you came up with that.” He was about to clarified but Harry just kept talking. “I just- I’m sorry. I’ve been terrible to you lately... I didn’t understand why but I’ve been pissed off about everything. Even with dad and Padfoot. It’s not just you, okay?” He didn’t know what to respond so he just nodded. Harry took a deep breath. “I went to see a Healer today... Dad and Padfoot thought that it would be good to do a check up since I told them about my constant need for napping and the headaches. Honestly, we thought I was just anemic-“

“Love, you are rambling.”

“Right. Sorry. I just don’t know how you are going to react-“ Draco frowned.

“Is everything okay? Are you sick?”

“No. Nothing bad. At least I don’t see it like something bad...”

“Harry.” He said with a flat voice. This was just making him anxious.

“I’m pregnant.” He whispered, his green eyes looking at him behind his glasses, fearful. 

Draco blinked. 

‘I’m pregnant.’ 

Pregnant.

Harry was pregnant.

With his baby.

Draco lowered his eyes and put his hand over his belly. 

There was a little person there.

Then, he took Harry’s face in his hands and kissed him all over. His lips. His cheeks. His forehead. His nose. His lips again.

He felt Harry smile in between the kiss as he kissed him back.

“I’m two months pregnant.” He breathed out. “And they are twins, that’s why I look like a an Hippopotamus.”

“Twins?” Draco asked amazed.

“Twins. We have another appointment tomorrow so you can listen to their heartbeat too.” He replied. “I felt kind of bad that Dad and Padfoot found out first... I honestly didn’t know, we were careful, I don’t know how this happened. And I know that you just finished Auror’s training and that I was thinking about applying for DADA teacher but-“

And Draco shut him up with a kiss before really responding to him.

“I don’t give a fuck about the rest. We are having twins.” 

“Teddy is going to be so jealous.” Draco snorted at that.

“Yes. You are telling Edward.”

“What? Why me?”

“Because I’m his favorite Godfather, you’ll need for him to be angry at you so I can bribe him with chocolate, it’s just logic.”

“You are telling him.”

“And why would I do that?” Draco asked raising an eyebrow.

“Because I’m pregnant.” Potter replied and kissed him on the nose. “By the way, the twins want ice-cream.” Draco looked at him amused by the whole phrasing.

“Really? Or is it just you?” Now those green eyes were glaring at him.

“Are you calling me fat?” Draco shook his head so vehemently that Harry had to laugh.

“I’ll go to Florean.”

“That’s more like it, Malfoy.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you didn’t read the notes at the beginning of the chapter, please do 🙏🏻🙏🏻 They are good news!!


	26. These Are the Days of Our Lives (Part 3)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi, Everyone! These are the scenes that are based on the request from the last chapter! I had to merge some of the prompts together to be able to make them all. I really hope you enjoy them as much as I did writing them ✨💕 Tell me what you thought in the comments, please! Were they what you imagined? Did you liked them? 
> 
> Ps. I’ve checked but sorry if you find any errors in this one.

**May 2nd, 1998**

It was noon when they found themselves walking to Hogsmade to apparate back home.

Home.

Harry couldn’t believe that he was hugging his father, with Sirius beside him and Draco walking ahead of them. They were going home, the four of them, finally.

He had the little suspicion that Draco was crying, giving the sighs he could hear every now and then... He just didn’t want them to know, at least not right now. It was expected, really. Draco hadn’t got to see his mother for two years and after everything, he got to hug her once before the Aurors took her to custody. Harry tried to intervene but it was Narcissa who stopped him: ‘It would look even worse, Mr. Potter. Let them.’. So Narcissa and Lucius were taken away and, in about three days, Harry would have to go to the DMLE to give his statement about the whole thing; that woman saved his life, she would not go to Azkaban, Harry would fight with whoever it was necessary. He couldn’t say the same for Lucius, though, but he didn’t think that Draco would object in the matter either.

They tried to take Nott too. It was pretty funny to see the faces of the Aurors (the ones that weren’t actually in the war and just came to take people away) when the entire DA began screaming bloody murder at them saying that if it weren’t for Theodore Nott they would all have been long dead before the Battle even began. Nott said that it was cool, the trials were made for that, weren’t they? He could spend some time in custody until the statements, it was not like he had amnesia and forgotten what his stupid tattoo meant. Harry would never forget Luna’s reaction...

She simply walked over to the Aurors and offered them her wrists.

“What the hell are you doing, Lovegood?” 

“I thought that we were all acting as martyrs, Theodore.” She replied before looking to the Aurors with a smile. “I’m pretty sure I left bleeding to death two Death Eaters today, they were going to kill us, of course, but it’s no excuse-“

One of the Aurors just looked at her with confusion.

“We are not here to arrest people who fought Death Eaters, that’s ridiculous-“

“Why? Do you not think of them as people?” Harry could barely contain his laughter; sweet, innocent seventeen Luna, making the Aurors look like fools. The two men went silent so she continued. “And Theodore Nott fought the Death Eaters, we all saw it. You are making a serious mistake and we can very well expose it on The Quibbler-“

“LOVEGOOD!”

“T-That won’t- That won’t be necessary, Miss. We’ll inform it at the DMLE. He doesn’t have to come with us.” At this point, Nott was practically gaping and Harry couldn’t feel prouder of being Luna’s friend.

“Of course not. Thank you for being so understanding.” The Aurors just nodded and left. Luna turned around with a wholesome smile. “Close your mouth, Theodore, you are going to catch Nargles.” 

After that, everyone relaxed a bit. At least just enough for Ginny to want to talk to Harry... Which in the end there wasn’t a lot to talk about, much less after the Great Hall declaration... Ginny was just hurt that Harry didn’t tell her the truth when they broke up, or at the wedding, and he tried to explain her that he didn’t even tell Ron , not directly. That seemed to calm her down a little. In the end, she said that maybe it was going to take time but they would be fine. He wanted to believe that desperately, Harry didn’t want to not be able to go to the Weasleys for this...

They got to the apparition point and Draco turned around. His eyes were kind of red but now he was smiling to him as he offered him his hand.

“Come on, Potter. We have to make a stop before going to the Mansion.” 

He frowned and looked at his dad who was also smiling at him. 

“Come one, you go with Draco. We’ll be right behind you.”

—————————-

The cabin was beautiful, almost hidden between the trees. Harry was just confused about where the hell were they.

“I didn’t want to tell you in the battle, you had too much on your mind already.” Draco said with a soft voice before walking to the front door and casting some unlocking spells combination that he obviously knew by heart. 

When they entered the cabin, he heard someone rushing towards them, the steps over the wooden floor echoing in the house. At the same time, he heard the sound of apparition outside, probably his father with Padfoot.

“We heard! We just heard!!” It was Remus, with a joy in his voice that Harry didn’t remember hearing before that day. 

The man was running towards them, a smile on his face before pulling both of them into a bone crushing hug. 

“My goodness, you were so brave.” He kept on whispering. “I’m so glad you are safe.” 

Then Padfoot’s voice interrupted.

“Hey, don’t we get a hug?” And Remus laughed, his eyes were starting to fill with tears, happy tears as he moved to hug his two best friends. 

It was in that moment that Tonks appeared with a cute baby with blue hair in her arms, smiling at them too.

“Finally, he hasn’t stopped crying since you left. We managed to make him sleep for like an hour and that was it.”

She moved closer and Harry couldn’t stop looking at the little person in her arms... But the baby wasn’t even looking at Harry, no, he was looking at Draco. The blond extended his arms and Tonks gave her son to him. It seemed so natural... Teddy (yes, Harry knew his name, he just couldn’t believe that he was here in front of him) touched Draco’s face with his chubby palm and suddenly his blue hair was turned bright pink, just like Tonks’. Draco kissed his forehead and turned to look at Harry right beside him.

“You and Draco are his Godfathers, Harry.” He heard Tonks spoke softly. He widened his eyes and turned to look at her. 

“Really?” He asked with surprise in his voice.

“Yes, Harry.” He felt a hand over his shoulder and when he turned around, Remus’ was smiling kindly to him. He returned the smile and then, he heard Draco’s sweet voice.

He was holding Teddy close, kissing his cheek and making the baby chuckle.

“I told you, Edward. See? That’s your other Godfather. I promised you I’d bring him.” He blew a raspberry in the baby’s neck causing him to laugh even louder. That laugh that only cute babies had, cheerful and melodic around the cabin. “I suppose I should give you to him now but you are just too cute.”

Harry, if it was possible, fell even more in love with him right there. Padfoot began to mock him about having heart eyes but he didn’t care. He took a couple of steps towards Draco, put his hand in the blond’s neck and put his mouth over his. Draco seemed to froze for a second before returning the kiss. And for a moment, Harry forgot about the infant in Draco’s arms until he felt his hair being pulled down with an incredible force. He cried in pain, breaking apart from the kiss.

“Edward no!” Draco said but Teddy seemed to be mad and he didn’t have the slightest intention of letting Harry go. “Don’t worry, you are much more cute than Potter.”

“Hey!” He complained but Draco’s words had almost an instant effect on Teddy and soon enough he let Harry go to wrap his little hand around Draco’s finger and glare at Harry.

He didn’t even had it in him to be annoyed, Draco with a baby in his arms was a sight to behold.

**January 20th, 2006**

Draco followed Harry through the fire place to get to the Mansion. It was their Friday dinner with the Potters. Draco loved to say that ‘The Potters’, it made Sirius blush immensely. 

Draco was totally going to win this. They were picking the twins names and they got to pick one each but, because they couldn’t agree on which ones, they had decided to tell their choices to James and Sirius so they could veto them if they were ugly. Now, his choice was perfect, it was Harry’s the one that was horrid. 

“Dad! We are here!” 

And Mr. Potter came to meet them in the living room with that expression that he now used everytime he saw Harry. He was so proud of him, Potter had the habit of telling him that he shouldn’t feel proud of him for looking like a gigantic balloon. 

He was insecure about the gain-weight. Draco knew it. His body changed so much In the last few months that Harry didn’t saw like ‘himself’ when he looked in the mirror. Draco made his very best effort everyday to make him see that he looked so beautiful. He would kiss him every chance he had, tell him how gorgeous he looked, tell him all the things he wanted to do to him; because, honestly, the man was a walking daydream, carrying his twins in his belly and Draco was just human.

“We have the names.” Potter announced and James was jumping in his place before yelling at Sirius to come down to the living room too.

Soon enough the four of them were sitting around the fireplace and Sirius looked so bloody excited about the whole thing too, just like Mr. Potter. Sometimes Draco wondered if they shared emotions.

Because Draco knew that Harry’s names were the ugliest he decided to go first so they could have a long discussion about why Harry’s choice was just plain stupid.

“Well... As first name... Leo, because of Regulus.” Draco explained and he could already see Sirius’ eyes starting to fill with tears. “And Hyperion as a second name because I just think it’s cool.”

“It’s ridiculous” Potter said, rolling his eyes. He was rooting for no second name at all, stating that Leo was a meaningful enough name and that it already fulfilled the Black tradition of constellation names.

“Oh, my choice is ridiculous?” Then, he turned to look at James and Sirius again. “Wait until you hear his.”

“It’s a perfect name, I don’t know why you are so against it.”

“Because he is going to get bullied, Potter. I’m not on board with that.”

“Maybe you should just tell us...?” Sirius asked doubtfully and Harry sighed before responding.

“Albus Severus.” 

Draco could see it in their faces, how hard they were trying to not pull a face at the ridiculous combination of names. James was biting the inside of his cheek so hard that his mouth looked pursed to the side.

“That’s... interesting.” Mr. Potter said and Sirius was the one to blurt out the truth, no filter.

“That’s horrid.”

“Why?” Potter groaned, his face already red. “I wanted to name him after Draco’s godfather. He wouldn’t let me put it as a first name so I found a solution! Dumbledore was important to me too, he cared for me-“

“He sent you to die, Harry.” And that was James, saying what Draco had been thinking since the beginning.

“Yeah, well, he saved us all.” His cheeks were bright red and then he fixed his glasses to turn to look at Draco. “I decided that you don’t get a call in this, I’m the one who chooses, I’ve decided.”

“Excuse me?” Draco asked arching an eyebrow.

“I think it’s an amazing name. If you don’t think so then I just don’t care. I’m the one carrying them, I feel them inside of me, I know them, I think I already know which one is which, okay? This one,” Potter said putting his hand on the right side of his belly. “Is Albus and this one,” And mover his hand to the left side of the belly. “Is Leo. End of story.”

Draco muttered an ‘okay’ before getting up to get a glass of water from the kitchen. He wasn’t about to cause a scene there.

—————————————

They were getting ready for bed. Draco was so pissed off that he didn’t even want to breath near Potter. 

“My legs are killing me.” He heard him say and normally that was just an indirect for Draco to give him a massage to relieve the pain. Not tonight though, he just kept folding his clothes and putting them away.

“Draco, legs first, clothes after.”

And Draco still didn’t respond, but seeing that Harry was going to keep talking to him, he grabbed the extra blanket that was in the back of the closet and moved towards the door.

“Hey, where are you going?” Potter asked, already fighting with his gigantic belly to sit up again.

“Since my opinions don’t matter I was thinking I could sleep in my old room. Away from you.” He stated flatly and resume his storming off right away.

When he got to the bedroom he took his wand to pjs a warming charm on the bed and started to move the covers.

It wasn’t too long until Harry opened the door, Draco wasn’t stupid enough as to think that they weren’t going to have a fight.

“What is up with you? It’s just a name-“

“It’s not about that.” Draco cut him short.”

“No, it’s about you not getting your way.” 

He snorted at that. Perfect, just perfect.

“Why, yes, Potter. I’m just pissed off that I don’t get the final call, typical of me, being the conceited prat that I am.”

“If it’s not that, then what?”

And Draco didn’t respond, not at first. He supposed it wasn’t fair to throw it in his face but he felt like it wasn’t fair the other way around either..

“Draco.” 

“I don’t want to carry my kids.” Potter just looked even more confused now, he rested the side of his body against the door frame, probably because being standing up for too long hurted like hell. “But if you think that carry them makes you more of a parent, then I suppose I’ll have to.”

“Oh my god, I DONT think that!”

“That’s what you said. And it’s unfair because I try, I know that it can’t compare, okay? I love them in an abstract way, I never held them close, not like I held Edward when he was little, not yet. I know that you feel them, I know that I don’t have the slightest idea of how much it hurts having them inside you or anything-“

And suddenly his seven-month old pregnant husband was crying loudly and heartbroken. What the fuck?

“I-I’m sorr-y” Harry starts to say in between sobs. “That was awful to say. I-I’m awful to y-you, all the time.”

Draco was just standing there, speechless, trying to reason what he was saying. Harry took a deep breath, his sobs seemed to calm down a bit so he continued.

“I don’t think that, okay? You can pick any name you want, I was just saying stupid shit, I don’t know which one is which, they move all the bloody time. I just really wanted the kid to be named after Snape... But it’s okay, it’s stupid anyway-“

“Why?” Draco asked.

“He was your Godfather, Draco... And you don’t talk about him, ever.” He felt something heavy on his chest, it was true, he didn’t want to, he felt like he could cry for years and never stop if he let himself talk about him. “And he cared about you, and I like to think that he would want to meet them, you know? And maybe it’s stupid but it’s like this way we know that someday we are going to tell them why he is name like that... Like Leo with Regulus.”

He was still crying but the ugly red from his face was replaced with a soft pink that seemed to only make his eyes look greener.

“You are not less part of this because you aren’t carrying them. That was mean, I’m sorry...”

“It’s okay...” He replied with a soft voice. And he didn’t tell him then, but with that explanation...? Now Draco couldn’t imagine their son having another name.

“Now... Can we go back to our room, please? I really really miss you.”

His pouting was so perfect and cute. Draco walked to where he was, took his face in his hands and planted him a sweet kiss on the lips. It was supposed to be chaste but soon enough Harry was demanding more from it.

“Oh, so you miss me, huh?” He said offering him his best smirk.

“Shut up, Malfoy.”

**January 30th, 2006**

Harry hated Mondays. He hated that after an entire weekend with Draco, Monday would come and he would have to go to work again and leave him to try and not die from boredom until 6 p.m when he got home again... unless he had a mission or something. 

It was 3 p.m now. The twins were kicking his ribs again so he couldn’t take a nap. He needed a nap. Kreacher made him tea twice already, probably because he didn’t know how else could he help Harry, the poor elf was too old to help Harry move around the house... So here he was, sitting on the green chair next to the fireplace, watching the flames dance around as he sipped his tea. It it wasn’t for the fact that he was pregnant, one would probably think that Harry was actually seventy-years old.

The fireplace went green, announcing the floo, and Harry thought that maybe Draco was getting out of work early but he was rather surprise to find Theodore Nott entering his living room.

“Potter! You have to come with me. Can you stand up?” He asked, offering him a hand as help. Harry took it, frowning more than ever... Everything was happening too fast for a pregnant man, really. “I’m so fucking sorry, Potter. Xenophilius is on a work trip, Draco and Weasley had to answer a bloody emergency call, Granger is not home and fucking Blaise and Pansy don’t even tell me where they work, I hate Unspeakables-“

“Nott, breathe, your stressful rant is making my sons kick my ribs even harder.”

He looked like a mess, normally his brunette hair looks kind of wild but still put together... Now, his hair looks like he pulled it because of the stress, his eyes are all red and puffy like he had spent a good amount of time crying, probably trying to get in touch with all the people that he named a few seconds ago. Of course Harry was his last resort, they hated each other for fuck’s sake.

“Luna is in labour, Xenophilius is the one who goes to St. Mungo’s with her. The baby is early, he took the trip because he wasn’t due until another month- Fuck. They don’t let me in, they took her and she is alone in there, I need someone that can go in with her and hold her hand. Is it too much for you? You look like you are going to explode and I don’t want the stress to hurt the twins, Draco would kill me-“

“What?  They don’t let you in? Why?”

“My Mark makes people uncomfortable, Potter. It’s okay. I just need someone to be with Luna in there.”

And Harry was already furious, marching off to the fireplace, stomping like a bloody elephant because the belly didn’t let him walk properly, and grabbing some floo powder. 

“Kreacher!” He yelled and the House Elf appeared right beside him.

“Master Harry.”

“I’m going to St. Mungo’s. If Draco comes back earlier than me, tell him that’s where I am, that Luna is having the baby.”

“Of course, Master Harry. Kreacher will inform Master Draco, although Kreacher doesn’t think that Master Harry should leave the house, reckless boy, putting in danger the Malfoy-Potter heirs-“

“That’s enough, Kreacher.”

And the Elf lowered his ears, turning around, muttering things along the lines of ‘Gryffindors never listen to Kreacher’ and ‘Just like Insolent Master Sirius’.

So Harry and Nott took the floo to St. Mungo’s and, just like Nott said, the receptionist didn’t let Nott through.

“I’m sorry, Mr. Nott, it’s just our policy.”

One of the funny things about being pregnant and bloated as hell was that people didn’t recognize him at first. Harry was standing right there, watching this ridiculous woman, that if you asked Harry, looked like she had something stuck up her arse and not in a good way, telling Nott off for no good reason. He didn’t fight fucking Voldemort to now have ‘the good guys’ discriminating people. It’s like the hate chain would never end.

“Excuse me.” Harry spoke, getting her attention. “My friend is in labour, this is her husband and the father of the baby.”

“It’s okay, you go in, she’s been alone long enough already-“

“No.” Harry cut him short and pushed his hair off his face, trying to show the scar so that the woman would get a fucking hint. And she did, because her eyes widened almost instantly. “I think you are making a big mistake, I was the one who personally spoke at his trial and he was cleared of all charges, and the woman that’s in labour works at The Quibbler, maybe you heard of it.”

“Sir, Mr. Potter, we are very sorry-“

“You should be. I can barely move and I had to come here because you wouldn’t let my friend enter the bloody hospital to grab his wife’s hand as she gives birth. If it weren’t for the fact that you are the only wizarding hospital in England, I would take my pregnancy elsewhere all together with how disgusted I am right now.”

“Oh Merlin- You don’t have to. Mr. Nott, your wife is down the hall to the right, room 109, she’s still waiting, first pregnancies always take a little longer to dilate.” 

“You are brilliant, Potter!” Nott said and planted him a loud kiss on his forehead as a thank you before he ran to meet Luna. His face looked like it had lightened up with how brightly he was smiling.

It was in that moment, standing right beside the stupid receptionist of St. Mungo’s, that Harry realized that feeling threatened by Nott was ridiculous. It always annoyed him, that Nott chose to move on to what a female version of Draco would look like... Luna And Draco had the same shade of platinum hair and big gorgeous eyes, their noses all pointy and perfect, carrying that pureblood look that suit them so well... But in the end, they were nothing alike, and Harry always thought that Nott was just settling for Luna because Draco was not an option, that the minute that Draco winked his way he would leave her. But now, looking at Nott happily almost skipping to the room, happy that he could be with her, he thought that there wasn’t any more reason for him to feel jealous.

Draco chose Harry, yes, but whether he said it or not, Nott had chosen Luna.

One of the twins kicked softly, like they were reading his mind and fully agreed with his conclusion.

“Let’s go home.” He muttered, caressing his belly and turning around towards the floo again.

**June 10th, 2011**

Draco woke up first, he heard the storm outside and the soft round of the reindrops against the window. Harry was still sleeping peacefully. Apparently being pregnant was the only thing that made Harry sleep like a normal person. He grabbed his wand and casted a tempus, 8 A.M. Good, the kids were asleep then. 

He looked at his husband and debated himself whether to wake him up or not. He just missed him. Was that too weird? The fact that they slept on the same bed but he missed him? Having three kids was a lot of work, most of the times they were outnumbered to stop them from breaking stuff. He supposed that Kreacher counted as help but the kids had him wrapped around thei little fingers so most of the times he took the blame for half of the things they did and Draco knew but pretended not to know about it.

The twins were five now, Albus and Leo were probably the most hilarious and annoying kids on the planet. Albus looked more like Potter, all the messy black hair, same nose and smile... the only difference was that he had Draco’s eyes. Leo, on the other hand... Well, Sirius always said that he looked just like Regulus, except for the hair, the hair was all Cissy’s; he had raven black hair with blond platinum locks of hair in the back of his head. Beautiful hair, really, and his son didn’t like to cut it ,most of the time Harry would braid it, just like Hermione taught him, so his hair didn’t bother him during the day. His eyes where all Harry’s, though. Green and beautiful. Draco always said that the twins were their best genes put together... At least until Lily came.

Lily Narcissa (of course Harry chose her name) was already three years old. She had beautiful strawberry blond hair, like somehow Harry’s redhead genes from Lily had mixed with his blond hair and ended up like that. Her eyes were green like Harry’s too. And she was, probably the brightest little girl he knew, reminded him of Granger sometimes with how much she liked books... She couldn’t read but she demanded a daily story before bed, no exceptions.

Most of the time, the twins were a team and Lily tried hard to catch up with them. The age difference was a problem, for the most part she was still a baby while Albus and Leo were already learning to read and spent their time playing Quidditch outside. Lily was just learning how to ride a broom, she was still to little to play with them (as Leo liked to remind her).

The good thing was that Leo and Albus were the same age as Kale, Theo’s and Luna’s son, and Rose, Ron’s and Hermione’s daughter. It was almost like they had planned it, honestly, now they would be on the same year at Hogwarts and they were already friends now. 

If Draco had to separate them by closeness, he would say that Leo and Rose were one pair, while Albus and Kale were another. Harry always said that the twins would ended up in Slytherin together but Draco had his doubts... He thought that Leo would probably end up in Gryffindor with Rose and Albus most certainly would go to Slytherin with Kale. 

And Lily had Hugo, fortunately. Hugo was the second kid of Ron and Hermione. Also same age as Lily. They weren’t close now but Draco was hoping that they would be. It was a relief to know that their kids would have someone familiar in Hogwarts, after what he heard from Granger, how she had trouble fitting in the first few months, he was scared shitless that their kids would suffer the same thing.

And now they had another girl on their way. Harry was already five months into the pregnancy and Draco thought that he looked even more beautiful than in the last two if that was even possible. It was his turn to pick the name so that was awesome too. Adhara Halley Malfoy-Potter. Sirius almost cried when he told him the name. Adhara is the second brightest star in the Canis Major constellation after Sirius and Draco thought that it was a perfect name for her.

Draco reached out to put a hand on the belly and felt Harry put his hand over his, sighing happily. 

“Good morning...” Draco said with a soft voice.

“Your daughter is squeezing my bladder again, Malfoy.”

Draco let out a soft chuckled and moved to let Harry go to their private bathroom. Once the man closed the door, Draco casted a cleaning charm on his mouth, morning breath was something that he hated and he intended to kiss his husband good morning.

Harry entered the room again, he still walked normally, the middle months in the pregnancy were the best ones... Belly showing, glow in his face, full mobility and, well, he looked sexy as hell. Draco never got tired of looking at him. 

His husband climbed into the bed again and Draco kissed him. 

The best thing about the pregnancy was that Harry was even more sensitive to touch than he was before. They were just kissing and Harry was already moaning because Draco licked his bottom lip in the middle of the kiss. 

“The kids-“ Harry breathed out and Draco couldn’t contain his smirk.

“The kids are sleeping.” He responded before biting Harry’s neck playfully. “I was thinking that I could, maybe,” Another bite, another moan. “Kiss every inch of you body-“

“Draco”

“And suck you dry until you’ re screaming my name.” 

And Harry literally squirmed before pulling his hair to bring Draco’s lips together with his.

The kiss was raw, and filled with need. They didn’t get too many of this spontaneous moments. It was always at night and when everything was quiet and the silencing charms were in place.

Draco left Harry’s mouth to star trailing kissed down his throat. He could hear him panting, he could see him curling his fingers around the sheets until they were white, biting his lip to avoid making too much noise.

He was almost there, he stopped to kiss his bellybutton, making Harry whimper.

“Please, Please, Draco- Oh Fuck”

He fucking loved to make him feel good. He loved the glow that it gave him. 

Suddenly, in the middle of the storm, Draco heard a loud thunder mix with Harry’s moans. 

’Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Let them be asleep still, Please-‘

“DADDY!! DAD!”

“SHUT UP, ALBUS!!”

He sighed tiredly and kissed Harry’s belly again before crawling back to lay next to him, knowing that it wouldn’t be long until Albus came running to their bed.

“Tonight, Love.” He said and kissed him again.

“You better, Malfoy.” Draco snorted at that. He was so bossy, and pretty, and sexy. Merlin, how in love he was... It was like he could breath in Potter, kiss him, taste him, cook for him for the next thousand years.

Their door slammed open and his little mini-Potter was running towards them.

“Storm! Storm, Daddy!” He yelled scared as he crawled to the bed to hug Harry tightly. His grey doe eyes were looking at Draco now.

“Hi, Dad...” He greeted pouting a little.

“Hi, Albus.” Draco replied smiling as he brushed a hand through his black hair.

It didn’t take long until Leo and Lily appeared, Lily happily skipping towards them while Leo stood, looking at them with a moody face, brows frowned and his long hair all messy from sleep. 

“Good morning, sunshine!” Harry said to him smiling and Leo only raised his eyebrows with an unimpressed expression.

He walked towards them and crawled into the bed, right in the middle.

“Leo moody.” Lily said laughing and pulling his hair. Those words were probably Lily’s favorites by now.

Leo groaned and pushed her little hand away a little to harshly.

“Watch it.” Draco warned him and his son mumbled a soft ‘Sorry’ before cuddling closer.

“I want pancakes.” Leo said looking at Draco with those green eyes. He was so weak, honestly. 

“Fine, but I’m putting Sheer Heart Attack.” 

And he heard his family complain because it was too bloody early for that Album but Draco didn’t give a damn. 

He ended up putting on ‘A Day at the Races’ because he just felt like it, obviously.

**November 13th, 2013**

He entered his house knowing that he was about to ask for something really big and probably the answer was going to be no, honestly... He just couldn’t leave him there.

“Draco...? I left the kids at Luna’s and Theo’s like you said.” He heard Harry’s voice approaching from the kitchen until he was standing at the end of the hallway, watching Draco’s arms with wide eyes. “That’s a child.”

A two-year old to be exact. His heart was racing, wishing that Harry felt about paternity like he did.

“Yes. Elio.” The little one was sucking his own thumb, looking at Harry with lazy blue eyes, his head resting on Draco’s shoulder. “He... I found him at the Ministry, with all the papers to hand in custody... Whoever left him was thinking about it for a while because everything is signed. He spent the day with me, right?” He asked the little one and somehow Elio seemed to nod even thought he was probably not listening. 

“Right, I’ll ask Kreacher to make dinner and prepare the guest room.”

———————-

He had just finished putting Elio to bed and now the hard part was coming, talking with Harry into this very sudden thing.

Harry was waiting for him, sitting on the table like this was come kind of business meeting that they had to get over with.

“I’m not mad you know.” 

“That’s good to know, Potter.”

“Don’t do that. Talk to me, come on.”

Draco sighed and sat down.

“I don’t know what you want me to say... I just, is it weird that I feel close to him? I saw him and I felt like- like-“

“Like he was yours?” Harry asked him with his face resting on his hand, soft smile on his lips.

“Yeah...”

Then, Harry stood up and walked around the table to get to Draco, sitting on his lap before brushing his hair with his hand.

“Look, I’m on board if you are. We can be his foster family and see how it goes, they won’t let us adopt without doing all the paperwork and the Ministry visits and stuff-“

“You- You are really okay with this, Love?” Because he knew, he knew that Harry wanted to carry their kids... He always said so, since he knew that it was a possibility, and now Draco was taking that from him in a way. 

And they couldn’t have six. Draco could barely know how they were handling four, Adhara was a crying monster and Lily had evolved to break the twin’s toys everytime they made fun of her, which also ended up in them stealing her dolls to destroy them. And the screaming, Oh Salazar, the constant screaming. He thought babies where a handful, no one ever tells you about them being sassy monsters when they begin to talk.

“Really. I want another but I can’t handle another pregnancy. I’m actually glad that Leo and Albus came together, even if that pregnancy was the worst of all.” He said and planted a soft kiss on his lips, smiling. “And Draco, I knew the moment I saw him in you arms, okay?” He kissed him again but this time taking his time, tasting Draco’s lips and trying to let him know that he was really okay with this. “It’s been years and it still amazes me.” 

“What?” Draco asked, confused.

“The way you love. It always makes me fall even more in love with you.”

Draco couldn’t contain the smile that appeared in his face as he pulled Harry close to kiss him again. He couldn’t believe how lucky he was, to have him in his life...

What had Draco did to deserve him, honestly.


	27. Epilogue.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello again! I’m really sorry I took so long. I had so many expectations for the epilogue that it took many rewrites; college was also crazy and I had to put writing a little on hold.  
> I really hope you like this, i certainly enjoyed writing about them again and to be able to write about their kids a little bit too.  
> Thank you for reading, for every kudos, comment and bookmark. It seem surreal that I’m posting the last chapter.  
> Please let me know what you thought, it doesn’t matter when you read this, if it’s an hour after the update, a day, a month, a year or three years ✨ I care for your opinions, reviews and appreciate them a lot💕
> 
> Ps. I’ve checked but I’m sorry if you find errors on this one.

Draco was finishing up the sauce when Harry hugged him from behind and kissed him softly on the back of his neck. 

“The tents are ready, Lily was so excited that she told me how to decorate the inside.” 

He could hear Harry’s pride in his voice... and the happiness. Draco just hummed in response.

“Hey, three down and two more to go.”

“That’s not funny.” Draco cut him short and Harry sighed.

“I know. But we still have three more years with Adhara and Elio home, okay? And by the time they go to Hogwarts Albus and Leo would be in their seventh year so if you really think about it we would only have one year of peace before we have our monsters again back here.”

Draco shrugged.

“I guess that’s something...”

“That’s what I thought.” Said Harry as he guided him to turn around and kissed him. 

His lips tasted like coffee, Draco couldn’t help but to smile in between the kiss before deepening it.

“Ugh! This is why your parents are superior, they don’t snog next to the food.”

“Let them be happy, Albus. You’re such a prude.”

“I wasn’t talking to you.”

“Yeah, well, you and bat-face are blocking the kitchen door, I can’t help to hear your stupid comments.”

“Shut it, Morticia.” Kale replied as he entered the kitchen. Draco could almost see the smoke coming out of Leo’s ears, he hated when they made fun of his hair.

At this point Harry was biting his lip to contain himself from bursting into laughter as he saw them.

“Hi, Kale” His husband greeted the boy.

“Hi, mum and dad said they’ll bring desert.”

“Great, then I’ll floo Hermione and tell her to bring things for breakfast tomorrow.” Draco said as he walked towards the living room. 

This would be their third annual ‘going away sleepover’, a tradition that the twins came up with before leaving for Hogwarts the first time. They had been so sad about going away and not being able to see their siblings that they demanded one last goodbye, a party of some sort, that would celebrate them starting school but also would give them a bunch of good memories before taking the train. When he heard it, Draco thought it was a wonderful idea and agreed right on the spot. It wasn’t until two weeks before September 1st that Harry and Draco found out that the twins invited everyone to the sleep over. And when Harry asked what were they thinking this was their answer:

”I’m going to miss Hugo too, Daddy! I can’t invite Hugo and not invite Rose and if they come, Aunt Hermione and Uncle Ron have to come.” 

“Yeah, And if Leo gets to invite Rose then I get to invite Kale! And it would look bad not to invite Uncle Theo and Auntie Luna.” Albus explained as Leo groaned.

“Stop calling her Auntie, we are first years now!”

“So what?”

“So you sound like a five year-old.”

“I can’t wait to be in different houses.” Albus replied rolling his eyes and crossing his arms annoyed. Leo snorted.

“I bet! You and Kale must be dying to finally be with your bunch of sneaky gits!” 

“Dad is one of those sneaky gits!”

“He sure is.” Harry said before smiling smugly at Draco.

“Don’t listen to them, Albus. We’re out numbered in this family.”

After that they came up with the annual ‘going-away sleepover’ and this was what it entailed:

1\. All children of all ages would sleep in tents in the gardens of Grimmauld.  
2\. The parents of said children would sleep in the house because five kids were enough of a headache, eight were too much of a nightmare for Harry and Draco to handle on their own.  
3\. There would be a dinner before the sleep over and a big breakfast on September 1st before going to King’s Cross.  
4\. (This was a rule invented by the kids) pranks were allowed and no parent could say anything about it , otherwise where was the fun? 

This year it was Lily’s and Hugo’s turn to be first years, to get sorted, to leave... 

Draco felt a little bit too old and a little bit too selfish to be as happy as he should be. Harry knew this of course.

The truth was that Draco knew that at some point Harry would leave on September 1st too. The only reason he hadn’t taken the position as DADA teacher yet was because Adhara and Elio were still little and Draco had a very difficult schedule to handle raising them on his own, even if Harry commutes, because they were used to not being alone, Harry was always there and then Draco would get home at six and play with them all the time. Sirius and James had suggested to take care of them while Draco was at work if Harry wanted to take the job but, of course, he refused. He said that there was no rush, he could wait a little more.

Harry would take the position in about three years and Draco would see him two times a week, one on weekdays and one on weekends and he would feel disgustingly lonely. So yeah, the fact that that moment was even closer now wasn’t helping at all.

He once confessed it to Theo and the bastard told him to stop being a selfish twat:

”You think I like when Luna leaves for an investigation trip to a lost muggle jungle? I don’t, I count the days for her to come back and tell me that my moody aura has taken over the house.”

“So why are you calling me a twat, then?”

“Because I still let her go and take her to the airport with a fucking smile on my face! Potter has put his life on hold for the kids;” Theo said with a scolding tone. “when the time comes you’ll let him do what he wants to do in life: being surrounded by more ungrateful children that don’t appreciate what he does.”

Draco snorted before a smile took over his face.

“Since when are you the Potter defender?” Theo just shrugged in response.

“He’s a decent person.”

“Oh, admit it Theodore! After all this years you could at least admit that he’s your friend.”

“Nope, not happening.” 

Draco threw some floo powder into the fireplace and pronounced the Granger-Weasley’s address. Soon enough Hermione’s face appeared in the flames.

“Draco! Rose and Hugo were about to go over there.”

“That’s alright, Kale is already here.” He replied with a soft smile. “Bring something for breakfast tomorrow, I’m making pancakes so whatever else you bring is fine.”

“Perfect, I will cook some scones and Ron can be in charge of the cake. We’ll be over for dinner but I believe the kids will be over there in about five minutes.” 

Draco heard Rose’s voice in the background then.

“As soon as you stop blocking the floo, mum!” And Hermione rolled her eyes before talking to him again.

“Remember when we were their heroes? Now everything we do annoys them.” 

Draco couldn’t help to snort at that. 

—————————-

The kids were all outside fixing up the tents, this would involve getting all the supplies they needed from the house before dinner because it gave them time to go over everything at least twice. The supplies were the things they needed for pranks mostly, maybe candy that they wanted to hide under the pillow, but mostly the things for the pranks. 

The tents were three. Separated by years: there was the big tent where the twins, Kale and Rose slept; and two others, one for Lily and Hugo, and one for Adhara and Elio.

He felt a little someone tugging his sweater downwards and when he turned around he wasn’t surprised to find a boy with blue eyes looking up at him.

“Hey, there.” 

Elio opened his arms and simply said ‘hug’ with a commanding voice. Draco knelt on the floor and returned the hug. He always did this. Out of all their children Elio was the most affective, it probably had to do with the fact that he was pampered a lot, like Adhara. Both of them were use to getting everything they wanted and face little or none existent consequences; and while Adhara tended to just demand things, acting like the queen of the house (Harry said that she was the most similar to Draco, bratty kid and all that), Elio chose to offer affection in exchange of something he wanted. That was exactly the reason why Draco wasn’t surprise to hear what he said while he was hugging him tightly.

“Adhi and I need the waterballoons, Kreacher said to ask you.”

Draco barked out a laugh and moved away from the hug to raise an eyebrow at him.

“And why would I give them to you?”

Elio didn’t even blink as he replied, not missing a beat.

“Because Albus and Leo got the cloak for their first year, now Lily is going to get the map for hers and Adhi and I are not getting anything when it’s our turn.” 

“You are, you’ll just get the cloak when the twins graduate and the map when Lily does. Neither of them will get two things in their Hogwarts years.”

Elio pursed his lips and crossed his arms, still looking at him with a bored expression.

“But I suppose that if your brothers and sister will be soon doing some mischief of their own at Hogwarts, waterballoons can’t hurt.”

The boy smiled brightly and wrapped his arms around his neck again. 

“You’re my favorite.” 

“You just like me because I spoil you. And don’t say that, Daddy will feel heartbroken if he hears.”

Their conversation got interrupted by the screaming match that was going on in the garden. Draco quickly stood up and marched off outside. He couldn’t really understand the conversation, it was mixed with hexes and Draco was just trying to separate Leo from Kale at once.

“Mind your own bloody business, Nott!” Leo hissed trying to push Draco away to launch himself at the boy once more.

“It is my business if you two do stuff in our tent!”

“Oh my god! We where joking, Kale. Chill.” Rose explained with an exasperated tone in her voice.

“Don’t get in the middle.” Draco heard Albus say to her.

"Yes, Rosie, let the lovebirds  settle this," Adhara said with her melodic voice, chin up and a smirk in her face.

Leo turned his head towards her that Draco thought his neck was going to crack.

"Shut it, twerp, unless you want-"

"Leo Hyperion " Draco scolded his son as Elio and Adhara ran inside giggling madly. Sometimes they were worse than the twins.

Leo pushed Draco away, shot a glare at Kale and then turned to Rose.

"Come, Rose. We can hang out in my room until dinner." 

What flashed through Kale's eyes was hard to miss.

\-------------

The kids were having their movie marathon in the living room. Harry had already casted a muffliato in the kitchen, and now the best part of the year was about to begin.

"Luna this is amazing." Ron said with his mouth full.

"Thank you, my father gave me the recepy."

"Yeah yeah, you cook brilliantly, honey." Theo interrupted them. "Let's start the bets!!" 

Harry was the first one to speak.

"Yes! This are my predictions: 20 galleons that Lily and Hugo get more detentions this year than the other four did in their first year-"

"You really shouldn't give Lily the map..." Hermione added.

"15 galleons that Albus comes first in his year-"

"Excuse you , Rosie always comes first!" The weasel replied rather indignant.

"And 10 galleons that at the end of the year we have news of the whole Leo and Kale situation."

Hermione barked out a laugh almost knocking the tea right next to her.

"If those two are anything like you two that's not happening any time soon."

"Or if they're anything like you and Ron; we would have six more years of waiting then." Draco said smiling smugly. "Although the Weasel played a big part of that." He took Harry's hand and offered him a soft look. "You are going to lose, Love."

"what ?"

" 20 galleons that Lily and Hugo break more rules than the other four in first year but never get caught. 20 that Albus does comes first this year but because Rose would be rather distracted and 15 that Leo and Kale just fight and hex each other."

"Why would she be distracted?" Hermione asked frowning.

"Bets first, Granger."

"Fine: Same as Draco, those two are not going to get caught; 25 that Rosie comes first in DADA and Charms but Al beats her at Potions and Care for Magical Creatures and, last but not least...10 that Leo and Kale keep like they are now."

"Same as Mione except I put 15 that something happens with Leo and Kale but its still not anywhere near progress. Nott?" 

"25 galleons that Lily and Hugo get just one big detention. 20 that Rose comes first in everything except potions. And same as Granger with Leo and Kale."

The five of them focused on Luna then. She always gave the most accurate predictions and took all their money with a sweet smile on her face.

"I'm afraid that Lily and Albus are going to get detentions but probably for something silly like sneaking out to the kitchens, I bet 20 on that. Albus is going to be first in class this year... I put 10 galleons on that because I have my doubts. And nothing is happening this year with Kale and Leo because of Leo and Rose." Draco groaned in frustation as the rest of them looked utterly shocked.

"How do you even know that?? I just found out today!"

"Rosie and Leo??" Ron almost shouted.

"Kale told me a thing or two," Luna replied easily.

"I love that you always win." Theo said before kissing Luna on her forehead with a lovesick smile on his face.

“I can’t believe it...” Harry said, blinking. “Leo and Rosie?”

The panicked look in Weasley’s face said it all so Draco thought it was necessary to put him out of his misery.

“From what I gathered, nothing happened nor was planned to but Kale didn’t like it all the same.”

Draco heard Theodore mumble ‘shocking’ before reaching for the kettle to pour himself more tea.

“Luna? Do you know something about it?” Hermione asked, but Draco knew better than to expect a single pip from Luna. She never told anything that the kids talked with her... Maybe for the bets she would throw this kinds of bombs that then she refused to clarify.

“Ask Rose, Hermione. I’m sure she’d tell you.” 

Ron almost chocked with the dessert when he heard her. Rose was in this age where the teenagers hated their parents and loved them all the same. It involved a lot of yelling and hugs after but it most definitely did not involve sharing her secrets and crushes with neither her nor Ron.

They continued chatting and eventually the tea turned into wine. They also predicted Lily’s and Hugo’s houses. Harry betting that they both would be in Gryffindor, Ron betting that Hugo would be in Gryffindor while Lily in Slytherin, and the rest of them agreed that both of them would be in Ravenclaw. Draco always thought so, specially with Lily.

Draco didn’t know how much time had passed when Hugo slammed the door open with pink cheeks and a frown in place.

“Uncle Harry! Would you tell them that you liked Uncle Draco before the Hanahaki? They don’t believe me!!”

“That’s because it’s not true, Hugo!” Lily said with annoyance.

“Lily is right, honey.” Granger replied with a soft tone but Weasley snorted.

“Says you. He totally did, talked about the ferret all the time.”

“He didn’t, Weasley, stop lying. It was the whole problem.” Theo added.

“No no no, The whole problem was the ferret lying about it for two years and Mione covering for him.”

“Oh my god, how many times do I have to explain myself to you-“

“So?” Lily asked and all the rest of the kids, who also wished to know, waited for the truth.

Draco observed his husband and smiled at the blush that spread through his cheeks. The green eyed fixed his glasses and cleared his throat before speaking.

“Err- I- I didn’t realize until a year after the Hanahaki-“ 

“We know that! But when did it started? Before? After?” Hugo said, almost jumping in his place from the frustration of not knowing.

“Probably before that,” Harry admitted smiling a little.

And as soon as he said it Hugo turned around with his arms above his head.

“Ha! I told you!! Now you have to give me the map for an entire week!” 

Lily crossed her arms and huffed before responding.

“Fine, but not the first one.” 

—————————-  
Getting through the barrier always made Draco smile, but since the kids started to go to Hogwarts that smile was a little bitter-sweet. Harry always took his hand once they were at 9 3/4.

The weasel was talking to Hugo, telling him that if he didn’t get sorted into Gryffindor he would be disowned to which Granger responded by slapped him in the back of his head before telling her son that his father was talking rubbish and easing up the boy’s panicked look on his face.

Harry was with Adhara, Elio and Lily, they seemed to be engaged in the conversation, the little ones making their older sister laugh even if it was obvious she was crying before. Lily was always the most curious one of them all but she tended to be scared of change; last night she came to look for them in the middle of the night just to hug them and tell them that she would missed them very much. It was in those kinds of moments that Draco’s poor heart ached. Now he understood what Molly had told him about the empty nest, with the twins at Hogwarts but the other three home it was still loud, now seeing Lily leaving too made it too real, just Adhi and Elio now...

He felt someone standing right next to him and when he turned his head Theo was arching an eyebrow.

“Nostalgic, Draco?” He let out a sigh before responding.

“They grow up so fast.”

Theo nodded, he turned his head and when Draco followed his gaze he found Kale and Leo. The brunette had taken Leo’s scrunchy and he was hiding it inside of his hand behind his back, Leo was trying to get it back and his long Black and blond hair was all over the place. Kale was smirking, that mean smirk that he had gotten from Theo, while Leo hissed threats as he tried to reach his hands.

“They remind me of us.” Draco found himself saying before he could stop himself. 

Everyone compared them to Harry and him because they where in different houses and fought all the time... But that was because not a lot of people knew what dynamic Theo and Draco had back in Hogwarts. Maybe Pansy and Blaise saw it too but they never commented on it... But the fighting? The bickering and still covering for each other when in trouble? Yes, they reminded of Theo and him.

“Minus the internalized homophobia you mean?” Theo asked sending a smirk his way. Draco couldn’t help to bark out a laugh.

“Yes, exactly, Theodore.”

The bell to board sounded and the kids rushed to say goodbye to them. Suddenly Draco saw himself being hugged by Lily, Leo and Albus. He kissed each once of their heads getting a complain from the twins that claimed to be too old for that kind of thing.

“There’s not such thing as being too old for affection, boys!” Harry scolded them before joining the group hug and kissing their cheeks loudly to mess with them. Lily was delighted with the whole thing though.

Draco felt someone tugging the fabric of his shirt and when he turned he found Adhara with an annoyed expression next to Elio.

“We want a hug too!” She complained and Harry laughed before whispering ‘so bossy’ and pushing them to huddle with the rest of the kids for the group hug.

The bell rang again. He saw Hugo being helped with his luggage by Hermione and Ron and Kale hugging his parents one last time. Draco was trying to make the hug last as long as he could but soon enough the twins guided Lily to go with them. His heart ached once more. 

“Write!!” Elio shouted.

“And send us candy!” Adhara added and made Albus smiled.

“Don’t get in too much trouble!” Harry indicated as he had done many years before but without too much success.

Draco couldn’t find it in himself to say anything. His brain wasn’t working. But his feet started to move, one after the other, first walking and then running. He rushed for the kids and stood in front of them when he caught up with them.

“Dad?” Leo asked because he could probably see that Draco was in the verge of crying. So weak and stupid.

“One last hug? Please?”

And the three of them let go of their luggage to throw themselves at him and hug him so tight it made his ribs hurt. 

“I’m going to miss you so much.”

“Us too.” Lily replied. She was crying again. “I’m going to write every day. Specially if I end up alone in stupid Ravenclaw.” She huffed between the tears and the twins laughed.

“Just tell the hat where you want to be, that’s what your daddy did.” Draco said with a kind voice. “He didn’t want to be in Slytherin so he told that to the hat and it put him in Gryffindor instead.”

“Dad was supposed to be in Slytherin?” Albus asked amazed by the whole thing and Leo was rather indignant on the other hand.

“Am I the only one in this family who isn’t a snake?”

“Oh yes, you’re my precious little golden lion, you always have been.” Draco replied before ruffling his hair.

Last bell and the three of them apologized but took their things and ran away. Draco turned around to find his friends, his husband and his two other kids smiling at him, waiting to go to that coffee shop around the corner as they always did after dropping the kids (for moral support mostly).

He walked towards them and as soon as he was close enough, Harry pulled him down for a kiss. 

It’s been years and kissing him still felt like the best painkiller in earth. 

To think that there was a time that Harry and Draco were Potter and Malfoy and they fought and hexed each other instead of just snogging. To think that he thought he was going to die without having him, without having this precious family that they had... 

“I love you.” Harry said to him in a low voice, smiling.

“I love you too, so much, Love.” Draco responded and kissed him once more.


End file.
